According to the annual report of the Moscow Bureau for Human Rights, in 2005 total xenophobic rate in country was staying stable high and about 60% of population upholds anti-Semitic and xenophobic slogans to some extent. There are more than 100 newspapers publishing anti-Semitic and xenophobic slogans and hundreds of web-sites advocating national hatred. Obvious appeals to violence are heard and some political circles aspire to make them legitimate. (18-FEB-06)
Ethnic hatred is spreading in the country
Skinheads’ movement, numbered 50000 persons, is gaining momentum and spreading from big regional centers to small towns and villages. On the whole 25 murders and more than 200 assaults on the national hatred ground were registered during the last year, more than 50% crimes against foreigners were committed in Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Northern Caucasus. In St. Petersburg in 2005 17 foreign students suffered from skinheads attacks, but real scale of violence is much larger than the cases announced by official statistics.
In 2005 two acts of terrorism were organized by radical nationalists – the attempt on the head of the Russian Main Energetic Company Anatoly Chubais on 18 March and an attempt to blow up the train “Grosny – Moscow” on 12 June. So a new phenomenon of right ultras terrorism, whose activists encourage to set up militarized units and threaten their opponents with murder, has appeared in the Russian Federation.
Leniency of the authorities towards criminals inciting ethnic strife and enmity
Law machinery demonstrates inexplicable indulgence towards criminals committing crimes on the national and religious hatred ground and usually qualifies such crimes as ordinary cases. The proceedings against such criminals are very often instituted under the Article 213 of the Russian Criminal Procedure Code (“Hooliganism”). For example, in January skinheads who assaulted two rabbis were convicted under this article. Last year 52 persons were charged of actions intended to stir up national and racial hatred, but the main ideologists and propagandists of violence on the national ground have remained unpunished, because officials of the Office of Public Prosecutor and of the Ministry of Internal Affairs haven’t considered their activities to be dangerous. Sometimes they sympathize with such ideas themselves.
Xenophobic slogans are used by politicians to win over electorate
Feeling impunity some nationalistic organizations began to strive for power and their slogans became more aggressive. At least seven federal political organizations including parties in Parliament use xenophobic slogans in their programs in order to win over voters who share nationalistic views. Representatives of Communist Party of Russian Federation and Liberal Democratic Party of the Russian Federation mainly use xenophobic rhetoric. In autumn the leader of the latter one Vladimir Zhirinovski in an interview with correspondent from The Daily Telegraph said: “Moscow has become black, children of immigrants beat Russian boys. They have appropriated commerce and many hotels, they have occupied the city”. And in another newspaper (“Liberal herald” in Bryansk) he stated that murders committed on the ethnic ground are not Fascism but simple self-preservation of nation.
The year 2005 was characterized by many public xenophobic actions. The largest one, called “Right march ”, took place in Moscow on 4 November and gathered 3000 demonstrators carrying posters with racist and xenophobic slogans. The same mass actions were held in other cities of the Russian Federation. Reaction of authorities remains inadequate.
Use of antifascist rhetoric with a view to discredit genuine human rights activists and anti-fascists
The year 2005 has brought another sad tendency. Power structures accuse potential opponents of xenophobia in order to discredit them. This tactic of placing on the same footing opponents and fascists is widely used by Kremlin apologists from youth organization “Nashi”, established in spring 2005 which declared itself anti-fascist. In May they published a brochure under the title “Extraordinary Fascism”. This book was allegedly devoted to necessity of struggle against “brown plague of 20 century”, fascism, but the main essence of the book is to accuse all forces, opposing the present authorities, of Fascism. There are representatives of so-called national-patriotic organizations and leaders of democratic parties in the “list of enemies”.
Counteraction to xenophobia in society is increasing
Last year was marked by numerous anti-fascist activities organized by human rights and democratic movements. Mass meetings, pickets and open letters against nationalism became widespread. Besides, human rights organizations held many conferences and seminars on the ways of struggling against fascism. Another important method of counteraction to extremism was manifested in concerts, exhibitions and festivals on the human rights subjects which cultivate tolerance.
Russian authorities intend to use aggressive xenophobic actions as appropriate background for winning the elections
Liubov Vinogradova, director of the Russian Research Center for Human Rights believes that Kremlin polit-technologists don’t vividly oppose fascists organizations and even support and encourage them in order to use them as the main threat during forthcoming elections, as a background for their own electoral campaign. They shortsightedly believe that they will be able to control the situation. But it’s a very dangerous game. The Russian anti-fascist movement is rather weak and needs support from all interested parties, including foreign ones.
The article was written on basis of review “Racism, Xenophobia, Anti-Semitism, Ethnic Discrimination in Russian Federation in 2005” made by Moscow Bureau for Human Rights.
