Employees of the State Department of Internal Affairs in Voronezhsky region enforce their fight against so-called youth extremism. Human rights activists believe that police actions are aimed at suppression of opposition. Authorities authorize nationalist actions and overlook anti-Semitic slogans and xenophobic statements. Nationalist parties plan to organize a Right March in Moscow. (11-OCT-06)
Text: HRH/Moscow, by Yanina Savenko
Voronezh has been called one of the xenophobia capitals for a long time. On October, 4th a group of people holding red flag and big posters gathered in the center of Voronezh. There were evidently anti-Semitic slogans on the posters, for example, “Jewish Democracy” with David star, and a swastika was drawn inside the star. The picket was organized by the National Sovereign Party of the Russian Federation (NSPR) and “Union of officers” activists. NSPR – is a nationalist organization, whose members are known by propaganda of intolerance and fascist views. So, Cochairman of the party B.S. Mironov is wanted by police and accused under the Article 282 of the Russian Federation Criminal Procedure Code (“Inciting ethnic, racial and religious hatred”); member of the Board was accused of publishing in Moscow and distributing the book by Hitler “Main Kampf”, Cochairman Sevastianov openly supported the murder of antifascist and scientist N. Girenko in St. Petersburg, etc. Despite fascist symbols on the posters, which incite national hatred, local authorities had authorized the picket.
Is it a fight against extremism?
In September police sent to some schools of Voronezhski region an instruction, which contained the directives to discover “extremists” and “terrorists” among pupils. The law-enforcement bodies asked teachers to report to the police on members 
of informal youth groups and also on those pupils, who sympathize with opposition parties and unions. The instruction named 7 big youth “extremist” unions and described potentially dangerous pupils in details. There are not only skinheads and members of fascist parties in the list, but also – members of some religious sects (Moonist and Krishnait), homosexuals, national-bolsheviks and communists, antiglobalists, hard rock fans, hippy, football fans and even human rights activists, including participant of the “Open Russia”. The instruction was written “in order to execute the decision, made by regional seminar, to create regional data base of all minors, who need attention of the state”, said head of Povorinski district police station Pavel Maltsev. The Public Prosecutor Office has been checking legality of the State Department of Internal Affairs instruction in response to the protests of human rights activists.
Illegal police control
Voronezh communists called the instruction an outrage. “Only the specialists of the Federal Registration Office in the Ministry of Justice could control political activities of different organizations, and taxation authorities could check their financial activities. In defiance of the Constitution, we witness again an attempt to introduce an absolutely police instrument, taking control over all leaders of political and social youth unions”, – stated leader of the judicial office of the Communist Party Vadim Solovyev. “It’s not the initiative of a regional policeman, but it’s an idea of the whole State Department of Internal Affairs. The data base list contains such risk groups as gays and obvious oppositionists. As to the first group, these people can not influence criminality. Besides, it’s an own business of every person. Moreover, such police data base will help the authorities to persecute the youth for political views”, – said Olga Gnezdilova, representative of the International Human Rights Office in Voronezh.
Preparation for the “Russian March”
On October, 4th at the press-conference in the House of the Russian Press representatives of the Movement Against Illegal Immigration (MAII), the National Sovereign Party of the Russian Federation, the “Union of Orthodox Citizens”, of yputh movement “Georgievtsy”, “Russian Order” and other nationalist-patriotic organizations declared, that they had intended to organize Russian March in Moscow on the 4th of November, which would be similar to the Right March (November 2005). “The march will take place regardless of weather and current state of affairs. the Russian Federation is our country! It’s time to return our land!”, – said the statement of the organizational committee of the Russian March. The preparation for the March started long time ago, it’s only the first official statement about it’s realization. In connection with gaining momentum of the Russian-Georgian conflict members of the MAII show particular activity and help the authorities to clean the country from Georgians and other migrants with pleasure.
