MEDIA RELEASE
STATEMENT ON INDIVIDUAL IN SYDNEY DAILY TELEGRAPH STORY
News that an Australian citizen is potentially collaborating with Putin-backed gangs in eastern Ukraine is very concerning to the Ukrainian Australian community.
Mr Stefan Romaniw OAM, President of the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations (AFUO) and former Multicultural Commissioner of Victoria, said:
What must always come first is our loyalty to Australia, its values and our responsibilities as Australian citizens. If someone’s primary loyalty is to another country and they wish to directly participate in foreign conflicts, that is where that person should stay, as here in Australia we all want to live in a peaceful way, regardless of our ethnic heritage. Seeking to fight in a foreign conflict is unAustralian and condemnable, whether it’s Syria or eastern Ukraine.
I am sure that the Australian Government will very seriously investigate and deal with this matter of significant concern, where an individual appears to have chosen to go overseas to undertake weapons training, actively support and potentially participate in the Putin-backed gangs who are now suspected by many of having shot down MH17.
Pete Shmigel, AFUO Public Affairs Director, added the following on his personal experience of Simeon Boikov:
At a recent inter-community dialogue held by the NSW Community Relations Commission (CRC) on March 13th, I raised concerns about Simeon Boikov, having seen Internet photographs of him in military uniform at gatherings that appeared to be in western Sydney. At that CRC dialogue, mainstream Russian Australian community leaders distanced themselves from Simeon Boikov and that is to their credit.
I have once spoken to someone who identified himself as Simeon Boikov. I picked up the phone at the St Andrew’s Ukrainian Catholic Church rectory on June 21st – the day that it was desecrated with racist graffiti and swastikas.
Simeon Boikov identified himself and then stated that ‘it wasn’t us who did it’. It was an unsolicited and very strange call, given our community did not make any allegations about anyone with regard to that stupid act. I did not engage further, as my priority was helping our parish priest in a stressful time. Again, mainstream Russian Australian community leaders condemned the desecration of our church and that is to their credit.
Authorities may now wish to consider the received phone call in the context of allegations in the media report.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: PETE SHMIGEL 0419 541 531
July 30, 2014
The full article from the Daily Telegraph – http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/asio-tracks-australians-trip-to-russia-with-hate-simeon-boikov-called-for-people-to-take-up-arms/story-fni0cx12-1227006527486?nk=6034a0afe6b1d898cfac8c08da8fd979
