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Racism in Russia

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Racism in Russia appears mainly in the form of negative attitudes and actions by some Russians towards people who are not considered ethnically Russian. Traditionally, this included antisemitism, as well as hostility towards various ethnicities of Caucasus and Central Asia.[1] The director of the Moscow Bureau for Human Rights, Alexander Brod, stated that surveys show xenophobia and other racist expressions are prevalent in 50 percent of Russians.[2] In 2006, Amnesty International reported that racism in Russia was “out of control” and estimated the number of Russian neo-Nazis at around 85,000 in 2008.[3][4]

Manifestations in the 21st century

Number of racist attacks victims according to SOVA Center
Year Deaths Injuries
2004[5] 46 208
2005[6] 47 461
2006[7] 62 564
2007[8] 85 605
2008[9] 109 486
2009[10] 84 434
2010[10] 38 377
2011 Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page). 20 130
Total 491 3265
3756

On 9 February 2004, a group of nazi-skinheads stabbed a nine-year old Tajik girl, Khursheda Sultanova, to death by in Saint Petersburg.[11] In 2006, the Saint Petersburg Agency for Journalistic Investigations revealed suspected perpetrators among the members of the "Mad Crowd" gang.[12] On 14 June 2011, The Saint Petersburg City Court sentenced 12 members of the gang led by Alexei Voevodin and Artyom Prokhorenko for their roles in dozens of racist attacks.[13]

Survey by Levada Center in which participants are asked if they agree with the phrase “Russia for Russians.”[14][15]

On 12 August 2007, a snuff video titled "The Execution of a Tajik and a Dagestani" appeared on the internet, showing two members of Russian National Socialist Party killing two Muslim men in front of a Nazi flag.[16] It was later identified that one of the victims was 24 year old Shamil Odamanov, a Kumyk from Republic of Dagestan.[17] Victor Milkov, a student from Maykop who distributed the footage, was sentenced to penal labour for a year.[18]

On 15 December 2008, Artur Ryno and Pavel Skachevsky were sentenced to penal labour for 10 years each for the murder of 19 foreigners.[19] They were placed on the list of people banned from entering the United Kingdom, remaining the only Russians on the list. The reason given is that they are “Leaders of a violent gang that beat migrants and posted films of their attacks on the internet. Considered to be engaging in unacceptable behaviour by fomenting serious criminal activity and seeking to provoke others to serious criminal acts.”[20] A judge, who conducted the trial, Eduard Chuvashov, has been gunned down on 12 April 2010, four days after he added two years to the 20-year prison sentence of a member of their gang.[21]

On 20 April 2011, Konstantin Poltoranin, spokesman for Federal Migratory Service was fired after saying the “survival of the white race was at stake.”[22]

Cherkizovsky Market bombing

Main article: 2006 Moscow market bombing

On 21 August 2006, a home–made bomb exploded in Moscow at the Cherkizovsky Market, which is frequented by foreign merchants.[23] On 15 May 2008, eight people of Russian radical nationalist organization The Saviour were found guilty for their roles in the attack that left 14 dead.[24] Semyon Charny from the Moscow Bureau for Human Rights says: “The fact that this case found its way to court, and the example of people sentenced to life for the Cherkizovo market blast shows that we are moving in the right direction – but there's still a lot to do.”[25]

Racism by targeted group

Africans

See also: Afro-Russian

Attitude towards African people were generally neutral during the Soviet Union, because of its internationalist agenda.[26] As a part of its support of decolonization of Africa, the Soviet Union offered free education for citizens of African states.[27] African students (as well as other foreign students) were placed in many higher education institutions throughout the country, most famously at Peoples' Friendship University of Russia, then known as the Patrice Lumumba Peoples' Friendship University, after the Congolese revolutionary and prime minister Patrice Lumumba.[28]

In recent survey, Moscow Protestant Chaplaincy found that over half of Africans in Moscow had been physically attacked in the past.[29] Attacks in Moscow Metro are common, and “Monkey” insults are so frequent that students have ceased reporting them.[30][31]

Peoples of the Caucasus

See also: Islam in Russia
OMON personnel during the riot after the murder of Egor Sviridov. Manezhnaya Square, Moscow, 11 December, 2010.

In Russia, the word Caucasian is a collective term referring to anyone descended from the native ethnicity of the Caucasus. In Russian slang, darker skinned Caucasian peoples fall into the category of black.[32] Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the rise of the Muslim population in Russia and the Second Chechen War, many Russian radical nationalists have associated Islam and Muslims with terrorism and domestic crimes.[33]

On 21 April 2001, there was a pogrom in market in Moscow Yasenevo District against merchants from the Caucasus.[34] Racially motivated attacks against Armenians in Russia have grown so common that the president of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan, raised the issue with high-ranking Russian officials.[35] In September 2006, major ethnic tensions between Russians and Caucasians took place in Kondopoga.[36] In 2006, Georgia–Russia relations crisis resulted in deportation of Georgians from Russia.[37] Russian side explained the process as law enforcement towards illegal immigrants, whereas the Georgian government accused Russia of ethnic cleansing.[38]

In December 2010, there was a massive outbreak of hostility to Caucasians, culminating in nationalist protests at Manezhnaya Square in Moscow and in other cities.[39] The trigger was the murder of Egor Sviridov, a Russian association football fan in a street fight on December 6.[40] On 11 December, thousands of nationalist rioters, outside the Moscow Kremlin building, screamed racist slogans, cried for a “Russia for Russians” and a “Moscow for Muscovites,” attacked Caucasians and other minority groups who passed by, and some — including children as young as fourteen — making the Nazi salute.[41] The next day, a similar riot was held in Rostov-on-Don, and afterwards, the city's government banned Caucasians from performing Lezginka, their traditional dance in the city.[42] Afterward, the police chief in Moscow said that civil liberties were a hindrance in security and that migration should be restricted.[43] Vladimir Kvachkov, a major Russian nationalist leader of the organization People's Liberation Front of Russia (which says its major goal is to “free” Russia from Caucasian and Jewish “occupiers”) made the following statement: “We Russian nationalists, the initiators of the people's front, we are telling you that the events of Dec. 11 are the beginning of the revolutionary changes in Russia, the first outbursts of the approaching Russian revolution... You are the ones who can participate in it.”[41]

Chinese

See also: Ethnic Chinese in Russia

Russian attitudes towards the People's Republic of China have focused on the fear of Russia (especially the Russian Far East and Siberia) being overwhelmed by Chinese migrants, because of China's much larger population.[44] It is also noted that there may be Illegal immigration coming from China into Far Eastern Russia, especially after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.[45]

Jews

See also: History of the Jews in Russia

On 11 January 2006, Alexander Koptsev burst into Bolshaya Bronnaya Synagogue in Moscow and stabbed eight people with a knife.[46] In March, he was sentenced to 13 years in prison.[47] In 2008, allegations of blood libel appeared in posters in Novosibirsk.[48] The Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia expressed their concern about a rising number of attacks targeting Jews, calling it part of “a recent surge in anti-Semitic manifestations” in Russia.[49]

Association football

See also: Racism in association football
Playing for Russian team, Roberto Carlos was twice faced with racism on the field.

After it was announced that Russia will host 2018 FIFA World Cup, a head of UEFA East European Monitoring Centre, Rafał Pankowski accused the Russian Football Union of downplaying racist chants in stadiums, saying: “Nazi slogans are common in many Russian stadiums. Matches are often interrupted with racist chants aimed at black players.”[50]

Cameroonian player André Amougou constantly suffered racism while playing for Lokomotiv Moscow.[51] As Zenit Saint Petersburg kicked off their 2006/2007 Russian Premier League campaign against visitors Saturn Moscow Oblast, Brazilian footballer Antônio Géder was received with a chorus of monkey chants at Petrovsky Stadium.[52] In March 2008, black players of French side Marseille — including André Ayew, Charles Kaboré and Ronald Zubar — were targeted by fans of Zenit Saint Petersburg.[53] Zenit fans were later warned by police in Manchester not to repeat their behaviour ahead of the 2008 UEFA Cup Final.[54] Zenit's coach Dick Advocaat revealed that when they attempted to sign Mathieu Valbuena, a Frenchman, many fans asked “Is he a negro?”[55] Also Serge Branco, who played for Krylia Sovetov Samara, accused Zenit's staff of racism, saying: “Each time I play in St Petersburg I have to listen to racist insults from the stands. Zenit bosses do not do anything about it which makes me think they are racists too.”[56] On 20 August 2010, Peter Odemwingie of Lokomotiv Moscow signed a 3 year contract with Premier League team West Bromwich Albion.[57] Later, photographs showed Lokomotiv Moscow fans celebrating the sale of Odemwingie through the use of racist banners including the image of a banana with text “Thanks West Brom.”[58]

On 21 March 2011, during a game away at Zenit Saint Petersburg, a banana was held by one of the fans near Roberto Carlos of Russian Premier League club Anzhi Makhachkala as the footballer was taking part in a flag-raising ceremony.[59] In June, in a match away at Krylia Sovetov Samara, Roberto Carlos received a pass from the goalkeeper and was about to pass it when a banana was thrown on to the pitch, landing nearby.[60] The 38-year-old Brazilian picked it up and threw it by the sidelines, walking off the field before the final whistle and raising two fingers at the stands, indicating this was the second such incident.[61]

Lokomotiv Moscow were involved in another incident on 18 March 2012, when a banana was thrown at Anzhi Makhachkala defender Christopher Samba during at a match at the Lokomotiv Stadium.[62]

Murder of anti-fascist activists

  • On 19 June 2004, Nikolai Girenko, a prominent ethnologist and adviser in 15 ethnic hate crime trials, was shot to death in his Saint Petersburg apartment.[63] On 14 June 2011, members of neo-Nazi gang Mad Crowd were sentenced to jail for a number of killings including Girenko.[13]
  • On 13 November 2005, murder of Timur Kacharava, a Russian anti-fascist of Georgian descent took place.[64] On 7 August 2007, Alexander Shabalin was sentenced to 12 years in prison for his murder.[65]
  • On 19 January 2009, while leaving a news conference, a human rights lawyer and journalist Stanislav Markelov was gunned down in Moscow.[66] Anastasia Baburova, a journalist for Novaya Gazeta who tried to come to Markelov's assistance, was also shot and killed in the attack.[67] On 6 May 2011, the court sentenced two radical nationalists, Nikita Tikhonov and his girlfriend Yevgenia Khasis, to life imprisonment and 18 years in prison, respectively.[68]
  • On 16 November 2009, Ivan Khutorskoy, former punk singer and head of security for anti-fascist shows, was killed in a suburb of Moscow.[69] He was known for organizing self-defense classes for anti-fascists individuals and providing security at press conferences of Stanislav Markelov.[70]

Decline of reported hate crimes

Since 2008 the number of hate crimes in Russia declined.[71]

The main outcome of 2009 was a clear reduction in the number of victims of racist and neo-Nazi motivated violence for the first time in six years of observation conducted by SOVA Center. To some extent, credit should go to the law enforcement agencies who suppressed the largest and most aggressive ultra-right groups in the Moscow region in the second half of 2008 and in 2009. However, despite all efforts, xenophobic violence remains alarming in its scope and extends over most of the Russian regions, affecting hundreds of people.

— Galina Kozhevnikova, SOVA Center

See also

2

Notes

  1. ^ "Russian nationalism: Playing a dangerous game". The Economist. 11 May 2006. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  2. ^ "Racist Federation". Bumbin Orn. 27 March 2008. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  3. ^ "Russian racism 'out of control'". BBC News. BBC. 4 May 2006. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  4. ^ Shternshis, Anna (13 January 2011). "It's no longer just about the master's thesis". Canadian Jewish News. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  5. ^ Radical nationalism and efforts to oppose it in Russia in 2005
  6. ^ Radical nationalism in Russia and efforts to counteract it in 2006
  7. ^ Radical Nationalism and Efforts to Counteract It in 2007
  8. ^ Radical Nationalism in Russia in 2008, and Efforts to Counteract It
  9. ^ Under the Sign of Political Terror. Radical Nationalism and Efforts to Counteract It in 2009
  10. ^ a b The Phantom of Manezhnaya Square: Radical Nationalism and Efforts to Counteract It in 2010
  11. ^ Titova, Irina (13 February 2004). "Teen Killers Of Tajik Girl Still At Large". The St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
  12. ^ Parfitt, Tom (26 June 2006). "The rise of the Russian racists". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
  13. ^ a b Titova, Irina (14 June 2011). "2 Russian neo-Nazi leaders get life in jail". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 27 August 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ Snetkov, Aglaya; Pain, Emil; Foxall, Andrew; Galiullina, Galima (10 March 2011). Aris, Stephen; Neumann, Matthias; Orttung, Robert; Perović, Jeronim; Pleines, Heiko; Schröder, Hans-Henning (eds.). "Russian Nationalism, Xenophobia, Immigration and Ethnic Conflict" (PDF). Russian Analytical Digest (93). ETH Zurich. ISSN 1863-0421. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  15. ^ "Национализм в современной России" (in Russian). Levada Center. 4 February 2011. Retrieved 20 August 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  16. ^ Suspect Held for Murder Video. David Nowak and Ross Kenneth Urken contributed to this report.
  17. ^ Video Draws Attention to Growing Violence Against Minorities in Russia
  18. ^ Investigation of the Neo-Nazi Video with a Murder
  19. ^ "Russian teenage skinhead gang jailed for 19 racist murders". The Daily Telegraph. 15 December 2008. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
  20. ^ "The Home Office list of people banned from the UK". The Guardian. 5 May 2009. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
  21. ^ "Top judge shot dead in Moscow". Hürriyet Daily News and Economic Review. 12 April 2010. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
  22. ^ Alissa de Carbonnel (20 April 2011). "Russian migration official fired in racism row". Reuters. Retrieved 20 August 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  23. ^ Zarakhovich, Yuri (23 August 2006). "Inside Russia's Racism Problem". Time. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  24. ^ Kilner, James (15 May 2008). "Moscow court jails bombers over market race attack". Reuters. Retrieved 20 August 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  25. ^ "Authorities declare war on racist gangs". RT. 18 May 2008. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  26. ^ An exotic subversive: Africa, Africans and the Soviet everyday
  27. ^ Bitter, Broke, African Students Abandon Russia
  28. ^ History of PFUR formation and development
  29. ^ Report on Racial Violence and Harassmen
  30. ^ Greene, David (24 September 2010). "First Black Elected Official Defies Racism In Russia". NPR. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  31. ^ Jackson, Patrick. (24 February 2006). "Living with race hate in Russia". BBC News. Accessed 15 February 2010.
  32. ^ --~~~~[1]</refSchwirtz, Michael (5 April 2010). "After Attacks in Russia, Fears of Xenophobia". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  33. ^ Sergei L. Loiko (26 January 2011). "Bombing in Russia highlights discrimination faced by those from Caucasus". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  34. ^ Demi-Season Bashing
  35. ^ Kocharian Condemns Racially Motivated Killings of Armenia’s in Russia
  36. ^ Kondopoga Violence Continues Unabated
  37. ^ Georgians deported from Russia as 2-nation diplomatic war heats up
  38. ^ Lipman, Masha (21 October 2006). "Russian Xenophobia Toward Georgians Grows". PostGlobal. The Washington Post. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  39. ^ Englund, Will (14 December 2010). "Riots in Russia rooted in nationalism, hatred of immigrants". The Washington Post. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  40. ^ Football fans block Moscow road in protest at killing
  41. ^ a b Shuster, Simon (23 December 2010). "Racist Violence Threatens Russia's World Cup Plans". Time. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  42. ^ Dzutsev, Valery (15 December 2010). "Nationalist Uprising in Moscow has Serious Implications for the North Caucasus". North Caucasus Analysis. The Jamestown Foundation. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  43. ^ Nowak, David (22 December 2010). "Moscow police chief questions civil liberties". The Washington Times. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  44. ^ Gelbras, Vilya. (18 May 2005). "Chinese Migration in Russia". Russia in Global Affairs. Accessed 15 February 2010.
  45. ^ Migration
  46. ^ ADL Calls on Putin to Investigate Violent Attack on Jews at Moscow Synagogue
  47. ^ Alexander Koptsev Repents Before Jews
  48. ^ Russian blood libel: Jews use children's blood for matzot
  49. ^ Three anti-Semitic attacks reported in Russia
  50. ^ Syal, Rajeev (3 December 2010). "World Cup 2018 win raises Russian racism fears". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  51. ^ Andrey Bikey: Why I carried a gun in Moscow
  52. ^ Zenit Vows To Educate Racist Fans
  53. ^ Racial abuse in Europe to be probed
  54. ^ "Racism warning for Zenit support". BBC News. 12 May 2008. Retrieved 12 May 2008.
  55. ^ Zenit manager Advocaat admits racist fans prevent him from buying black players
  56. ^ Will Stewart (3 May 2008). "Zenit fans are racist, admits Dick Advocaat". London: The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 11 July 2009.
  57. ^ Peter Odemwingie signs new three-year West Brom deal
  58. ^ Russia World Cup bid chief defends racism track record
  59. ^ Peck, Brooks (23 March 2011). "Russian fan presents Roberto Carlos with a racist banana". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 23 July 2011.
  60. ^ Russian football toughens racism penalties after Carlos incident
  61. ^ Shame of Russian football as racist fans throw bananas at Brazilian superstar Roberto Carlos
  62. ^ Samba upset by racism happening "in view of children"
  63. ^ Zarakhovich, Yuri (1 August 2004) "From Russia With Hate" Time. Accessed 15 February 2010
  64. ^ Chernov’s choice
  65. ^ Kacharava Killer Gets 12 Years
  66. ^ Autalipov, Aldiyar (22 January 2009). "Russia: Xenophobia on the rise". International Relations and Security Network. ETH Zurich. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  67. ^ Murder of lawyer shocks Russians
  68. ^ Nikita Tikhonov And Yevgenia Khasis, Russian Nationalists, Sentenced For Killing Human Rights Lawyer, Journalist
  69. ^ Anti-Fascist Youth Activist Killed In Moscow
  70. ^ Russian anti-fascist activist shot dead in Moscow
  71. ^ Galina Kozhevnikova. Under the Sign of Political Terror. Radical Nationalism and Efforts to Counteract It in 2009

References

Further reading

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