E/CN.4/2005/18 page 10 xenophobic platforms, namely the National Democratic Party (NDP) and the Union of the German People (DVU), made a breakthrough at the regional parliamentary elections in September 2004: the first took 9.1 per cent of the vote in Saxony, and the second took 5.9 per cent in Brandenburg. The Special Rapporteur noted with deep concern the statements which the representatives of those parties made to the press. Holger Apfel, leader of the NPD, announced that one of the first things that he would do if he were to come to power would be to destroy the monument which had been erected in Berlin to commemorate the victims of the Jewish genocide carried out by the Nazis. The NPD and DVU held a joint congress on 1 November 2004, at which they announced that they had formed an alliance to “march together on Berlin”. 22. As regards Switzerland, the Special Rapporteur wishes to express grave concern at the xenophobic tone of the agendas of certain political parties, as manifested during the most recent legislative elections and the referendum on access to Swiss nationality held on 26 September 2004. This was rightly condemned by a section of the press, non-governmental organizations, and the Swiss Federal Commission against Racism, which reserved its special condemnation for a poster designed by the Union démocratique du Centre (UDC) party, showing hands of different colours grabbing for Swiss passports and thus making skin colour a criterion for naturalization, which is completely unacceptable. 23. The Special Rapporteur welcomes the measures taken by certain countries against parties with racist and xenophobic platforms. He noted with appreciation the judgement which the Belgian Court of Cassation handed down on 9 November 2004 against the Vlaams Block, the populist party led by Filip Dewinter, which, according to recent figures, is the major political party in Flanders. The Court of Cassation found that the Vlaams Block was a racist party, and was therefore liable to criminal prosecution, because it systematically stigmatized and incited hatred towards groups of individuals on account of their origin and religion. In order to avoid prosecution, the party changed its name to the Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest) and toned down its language, particularly on the expulsion of immigrants. The Special Rapporteur nevertheless invites the Belgian authorities to remain vigilant and to make sure that this change is not merely a cosmetic exercise. The Special Rapporteur also invites the other parties not to break with the tradition of the “cordon sanitaire”, committing them not to form an alliance with the Vlaams Block, as a racist party, unless they are sure that the agenda of the Vlaams Belang contains no hint of racism or xenophobia. 24. The Special Rapporteur also noted with great concern the increase in the number of racist incidents in the Russian Federation, and the rise of the skinhead movement, which has been responsible for many of these incidents. The Ministry of Interior of the Russian Federation has published a list of the racist attacks committed on national soil: 157 racist crimes were carried out in 2003, as compared with 94 between January and September 2004. At the same time, the police opened files on 457 leaders and members of young skinhead groups in 2003. The experts estimate that there are around 55,000 skinheads in the Russian Federation today. Confined in the past to the large cities, today these movements and their ideas have taken hold in small provincial towns and even rural areas. 25. The targets of skinheads are “non-white” foreigners in general, including Africans, Arabs and Asians, as well as people from the Caucasus. Skinheads openly espouse Hitler’s theories and have “Aryan oaths”. For example, in order to join the White Wolves-Skinheads’ Union,