Social-National Party of Ukraine

The Social-National Party of Ukraine (SNPU) was a far-right party in Ukraine that would later become Svoboda. The name of the party was an intentional reference to the Nazi Party in Germany. The party combined radical nationalism, neo-fascist and anti-communist positions. History The party was registered on October 16, 1995 It was founded by the Student Fraternity of Lviv city, public organization of the Soviet Afghan War veterans, a youth organization "Spadshchyna" (Heritage) and the Rukh Guard. Its ideology was based on OUN politician Yaroslav Stetsko's Two revolutions. A mirror image of the Wolfsangel, or Wolf's Hook, was chosen as the party emblem in 1991. On 21 September 1993 its "people's formations" came to the Verkhovna Rada building dressed all in black to differentiate themselves from woodland camouflaged UNA-UNSO activists. In the second half of 1990s the party also recruited skinheads and football hooligans. The party was alleged to be involved in criminal fighting which resulted in physical elimination of criminal elements of the Caucasus region from the West Ukraine. According to Svoboda's website, during the 1994 Ukrainian parliamentary elections the party presented its platform as distinct from those of the communists and social democrats. SNPU did not win any seats to the national parliament, but managed to receive some seats in the Lviv Regional Council.