Changes

==Vandalism of Memorials==

==Vandalism of Memorials==

In June 2020, the Victims of Communism Memorial in Washington, D.C. was vandalized by leftist punks,<ref name="Memorial vandalism">[https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/hurtful-on-a-number-of-levels-victims-of-communism-memorial-among-those-defaced-during-rioting-in-dc 'Hurtful on a number of levels': Victims of Communism Memorial among those defaced during rioting in DC] at the Washington Examiner</ref>, followed in July 2020 by a Victims of Communism Memorial construction site in [[Ottawa]], [[Ontario]] being vandalized with spray paint graffiti by other leftist punks,<ref>[https://www.breitbart.com/social-justice/2020/07/07/communism-will-win-victims-communism-memorial-site-vandalized/ ‘Communism Will Win’: Vandals Deface Victims of Communism Memorial Site] at Breitbart News Network</ref> who falsely claimed that "Communism will win", despite history illustrating that Communist regimes, despite seizing power through violence and maintaining it through brutal and oppressive means (including [[genocide]]), have always failed and ultimately fell (most notably the [[USSR]] and [[Romania]] under [[Nicolae Ceausescu]]) when its citizens finally had enough of being subjected to abuse and corruption by Communist elitist rulers and rose up against the regimes and overthrew them in favor of returns to democracy and [[capitalism]].  Commenting on the vandalism at the memorial in Washington, Victims of Communism Memorial director Marion Smith said that the vandals who targeted the memorial, who have shown themselves not to take the amount and level of damage Communism has done throughout history seriously, display ignorance of world history:

In June 2020, the Victims of Communism Memorial in Washington, D.C. was vandalized by leftist punks,<ref name="Memorial vandalism">[https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/hurtful-on-a-number-of-levels-victims-of-communism-memorial-among-those-defaced-during-rioting-in-dc 'Hurtful on a number of levels': Victims of Communism Memorial among those defaced during rioting in DC] at the Washington Examiner</ref>, followed in July 2020 by a Victims of Communism Memorial construction site in [[Ottawa]], [[Ontario]] being vandalized with spray paint graffiti by other leftist punks,<ref>[https://www.breitbart.com/social-justice/2020/07/07/communism-will-win-victims-communism-memorial-site-vandalized/ ‘Communism Will Win’: Vandals Deface Victims of Communism Memorial Site] at Breitbart News Network</ref> who falsely claimed that "Communism will win", despite history illustrating that Communist regimes, despite seizing power through deceit and violence and maintaining it through brutal and oppressive means (including [[genocide]]), have always failed and ultimately fell (most notably the [[USSR]] and [[Romania]] under [[Nicolae Ceausescu]]) when its citizens finally had enough of being subjected to abuse and corruption by Communist elitist rulers and rose up against the regimes and overthrew them in favor of returns to democracy and [[capitalism]].  Commenting on the vandalism at the memorial in Washington, Victims of Communism Memorial director Marion Smith said that the vandals who targeted the memorial, who have shown themselves not to take the amount and level of damage Communism has done throughout history seriously, display ignorance of world history:

{{cquote|For those who pretend socialism and fascism are all somehow on opposite ends of the political spectrum, fascism and socialism are twin ideologues, and that was very vividly on display with the Nazi-Soviet compact that started WWII... That's really a shame. Millennials and members of the Gen Z generation do not have a good understanding of the history of fascism or communism, and that leads them to be much more extremist in their perspective.<ref name="Memorial vandalism"/>}}

{{cquote|For those who pretend socialism and fascism are all somehow on opposite ends of the political spectrum, fascism and socialism are twin ideologues, and that was very vividly on display with the Nazi-Soviet compact that started WWII... That's really a shame. Millennials and members of the Gen Z generation do not have a good understanding of the history of fascism or communism, and that leads them to be much more extremist in their perspective.<ref name="Memorial vandalism"/>}}