Russian Activists To March Against Racial Intolerance
Michael Givel
27/10/2006 - Politicians and activists are preparing to take to the
streets on Sunday to protest against hatred, fascism and
discrimination.The March Against Hatred which will start at 1 p.m. on
Sunday at Sportivnaya metro station is dedicated to the memory of
Nikolai Girenko, a prominent expert on ethnic and racial issues who was
gunned down at the entrance of his apartment in June 2004. Organized by
local branches of Yabloko and Union of Right Forces as well as human
rights groups, including Memorial, Soldiers' Mothers and Citizens'
Watch, the event aims to unite and consolidate local citizens. The
march's organizers stress that they are appealing to citizens, rather
than the authorities. Russia's human rights advocates say they are
alarmed that in St. Petersburg three different juries in a row have
this year acquitted people charged with hate-crimes. In March, a jury
cleared a teenager of murder charges in the stabbing of a 9-year-old
Tajik girl in 2004, finding him guilty instead of hooliganism and
calling for leniency in his sentencing. In July, another jury acquitted
defendants of the murder of Congolese student Roland Epassak, and, in
October, prosecutors failed to convince the jury of the guilt of
suspects in the murder case of Vietnamese student Vu An Tuan.
"Rulers come and go, but the people stay on; and it is the people who
are now finding themselves on the verge of pogroms against Georgians
and other non-Russians," said Iosif Skakovsky of the human rights group
Memorial. "The authorities are used to using special task forces, water
cannon and gas against furious crowds, but a better and more
long-lasting way to prevent massacre and pogroms is to nurture civil
society," Skakovsky said. Alexander Vinnikov, one of the leaders of the
For Russia Without Racism movement, agreed. "More and more Russian
citizens feel alienated from one another. Not only are their social
values and political beliefs different. Many people hate the very
difference between them - be it a different skin color, political
persuasion or social status - and are unwilling to open the door to
dialogue and reconciliation," Vinnikov said. The march will include a
meeting of protest at 2 p.m. on Andrei Sakharov Square. Both the right
and left-wing opposition are expected to participate in the march. Its
organizers have asked the most controversial groups, including, for
instance, National Bolsheviks, whose slogans and philosophy frequently
spark argument, not to bring any party symbols to the event. At
previous meetings there has been a substantial amount of hatred,
intolerance and propaganda in the rhetoric of some of the march's
participants, providing a striking contrast to its declared goal. This
time round the event's organizers promise more moderation.
"During one of the first marches, some of the activists carried
anti-Putin posters and shouted slogans like 'Russia Without Putin,',"
recalls Yury Nesterov of the For Russia Without Racism movement.
"Although many participants of the march felt the same way, there were
people whose attitude toward the president was much less critical. The
shouting made them uncomfortable and that's the kind of thing that we
should certainly avoid in the future." In previous years, public
support for the march has been low. The first event in 2004 assembled
about 700 participants, and last year the march gathered just over 1000
people. City officials have distanced themselves from the event. Sergei
Khokhayev, chairman of Memorial, blamed Gov. Valentina Matviyenko and
other officials for what he called a "hands-off attitude." "Not only do
they stay away from anti-fascist meetings, but they also don't send
anyone to remove fascist graffiti from the walls of apartment
buildings," he said. "Young activists from Antifa are removing
extremist slogans from walls on their own initiative, while the city
simply turns a blind eye to them." The activists are hoping for a
better public attendance for their events. "After all, the fascists are
watching us, and if they see only a handful of activists out in the
street, they feel they are winning," Khokhayev said. "And, of course,
the state would face greater pressure to deal with the problem of
intolerance if many thousands of people join forces even if it's just
for the one street protest this coming Sunday."
) The St. Petersburg Times http://www.sptimes.ru/