On Febtuary, 8th a conference “Language of strife and xenophobia. the Russian Federation, XXI century” was held in Moscow. Participants of the conference discussed situation in the Russian society, public policy and mass media, where language of strife and xenophobia are considered as legitimate by many people. Furthermore, party in power has recently launched a project, aimed at popularization of nationalism. (17-FEB-07)

Text: HRH/Moscow, by Yanina Savenko. Sources: svobodanews.ru, hro.org, demos-center.ru. Photos: osan.ru, rg.ru 

Well-known human rights activists, journalists, scientists and public personalities from Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities of the Russian Federation took part in the conference.  All the participants came to an agreement that the year 2006 became crucial; exactly in this period language of strife and xenophobia from strictly special problem turned into the national one. Meanwhile, authorities don’t react effectively to xenophobic manifestations. Often even if legal action against a person, who has committed a crime on ethnic hatred ground, is brought to court, (for example, case of the murder of Tajik girl in St. Petersburg), a jury, as a rule, doesn’t accept prosecution arguments. “On the one hand, this demonstrates inability of investigating agencies to produce convincing evidence, and, on the other hand, this shows feelings of a large part of Russian citizens”, believes Sergey Lukashevskiy (Center for Development of Democracy and Human Rights).  

Authorities use nationalism for their purposes 
workersRecently pro-President party United the Russian Federation has launched so called “Russian Project”, headed by leader of the youth branch of United the Russian Federation Ivan Demidov, who was once a popular showman. «”Russian Project” is the beginning of self-identification of the Russian nation in modern epoch”, stated Demidov. Leaders of the project propose to introduce quotas on foreign media production and to telecast mainly Russian films. Besides, member of United the Russian Federation General Council Andrey Isaev proposed to change the immigration law. Isaev believes amendments to the law must be adopted. They would force employers of migrant workers to teach them Russian language and culture. If the employers don’t fulfill these requirements they would be fined.

Ultra-nationalists are greeting the “Russian Project”
 “United the Russian Federation is going to rehabilitate the words “nationalism”, “nation”, “Russians”, which nowadays have been privatized and discredited by such organizations as, for example, Movement Against Illegal Immigration (MAII)”, said Ivan Demidov. Meanwhile, Alexander Belov, leader of the MAII, who is famous for his nationalistic appeals, took words of United the Russian Federation representatives as his personal victory: “Authorities have borrowed our lexicon; illegal immigration is unambiguously considered as an enemy, as main danger; nationalism has become natural and absolutely acceptable political phenomena”. According to many experts, due to the “Russian Project” United the Russian Federation is going to win over votes of so called moderate nationalists.  

Human rights activists are raising alarmLidia Grafova
«I have been observing for a long time that immigration policy of authorities, taking into account  anti-Georgian campaign and cleansings at markets, literally follows the MAII slogans”, said Lidia Grafova, leader of the Emigrant Organizations Forum. She believes that introducing of fines for employers, who don’t teach their workers Russian language and culture, will stir up hatred of many people against everything which is Russian. “How could you teach construction-workers, who work hard from morning till night, the Russian culture?” Meanwhile, according to United the Russian Federation members, sane people don’t put any ethnic or nationalistic meaning in the word “Russian”. However, many independent experts, liberal politicians and human rights activists, on the contrary, believe that playing with words by pro-Kremlin bureaucracy is mortally dangerous for the Russian Federation.