Xenophobia and racism flourish in Russia

     Moscow has several million migrants who come from the mainly Muslim North Caucasus, which is inside Russia, and from the countries of the former Soviet Union. Nearly one-fifth of Russia's 143 million people are Muslims, and the country prides itself on being home to over 100 nationalities.

   But in Moscow and other big cities, racial tensions often cause violence. In December, ethnic Russian football fans rampaged in Moscow and attacked anyone with non-Slavic features.

  Workers of Asian appearance from countries like Uzbekistan and Tajikistan complain of frequent racist abuse and attacks. Russia has only a small community of black Africans, but they also face racist attacks. Sova, a rights group that documents racial violence, said that at least 37 people were killed in hate crimes last year in Russia.

The Independent, Friday 22 April 2011

Discussion

· Work in groups. Study the cases and give your comments. Then answer the questions that follow

.

1 Case Study: Indian sailor died after attack by gang of 20 youths

Gregory Fernandes, a 32-year-old sailor from Goa in India, was walking back to the cargo ship he worked on in Fawley, Hampshire when he and a friend were set upon by a 20-strong gang of youths. It was October 2007. Mr Fernandes was his family's breadwinner. A passerby broke up the fight and drove Mr Fernandes to his cargo ship, but he dropped dead from a heart attack.

Police concluded that the attack, which took place in a normally quiet backwater of Hampshire, had clear racist overtones. The gang had been shouting "Paki" during the assault. In January 2008, the Fernandes family expressed concern at the police investigation and the failure to charge anyone in connection with his death. Three young boys were later charged with his murder. At their trial in February 2009, the three admitted lesser charges of manslaughter. In March 2009, Stephen Pritchard, 18, Daniel Rogers, 18, and Chay Fields, 16, were sentenced to six-and-a-half years. A 15-year-old boy admitted GBH on Mr. Fernandes' friend and was given a 12-month detention and training order. Another 15-year-old who admitted assault was given an 18-month supervision order.

set upon by – подвергнуться нападению

a 20-strong gang – группа из 20 человек

broke up the fight – разнял дерущихся

backwater – закоулки, глушь, захолустье

racist overtones – расистские нотки, намеки, подтекст

assault - словесное оскорбление и угроза физическим насилием

expressed concern – выразили озабоченность

to charge – обвинить

trial – судебный процесс

to admit – сознаться

lesser charges – менее серьезное обвинение

manslaughter - непредумышленное убийство

sentenced to – приговорен к

GBH – grievous bodily harm– тяжкое телесное повреждение

12-month detention and training order – год в исправительном учреждении

 supervision – нахождение под надзором                 

2 Case Study: Russian nationalists rally 'against tolerance' and immigrants in Moscow

The Independent Monday 04 November 2013

Several thousand nationalists rallied in Moscow on Monday, protesting against the migrants they accuse of pushing up the crime rate and taking their jobs.

The protest took place on Unity Day, a national holiday established in 2005 to replace commemorations of the Bolshevik Revolution.

Many demonstrators carried Russian imperial flags. One group displayed a banner reading “Young People Against Tolerance”.

Animosity against migrants from the former Soviet Central Asian republics and non-Slavs from the largely Muslim Russian Caucasus region is strong among nationalists. Migrants are widely employed in construction and low-paid jobs that Russians are not eager to do.

3 Case study: Armenian student killed in Moscow race attack

The Guardian, Monday 24 April 2006

 

An ethnic Armenian teenager was stabbed to death in a metro station in central Moscow on Saturday night - the latest attack in a growing wave of racist violence in Russia.

At least six immigrants have been killed so far this month, and many more have been wounded.

Media reports said that a man in black clothing with a shaven head had stabbed the victim several times at Pushkin Square station, not far from the Kremlin, before fleeing.

Vagan Abramyants, 17, a student, died on the spot.

A friend who was with him at the time was badly wounded in the attack.

4 Case study: Police capture Azerbaijani suspected of Moscow murder

 BBC news

15 October 2013

Russian police have captured an Azerbaijani man suspected of murdering a young Russian, whose death led to riots targeting migrants in Moscow.

Police in Moscow have named Azerbaijani man Orkhan Zeynalov as the suspected murderer of a young Russian whose death sparked major riots targeting migrants. Yegor Shcherbakov, 25, was stabbed to death in front of his girlfriend as the couple were returning home in the Biryulyovo district on Thursday. Ill-feeling has risen towards Moscow's Muslim migrants, thousands of whom gathered for street prayers on Tuesday. On Sunday, in response to Shcherbakov's murder, protesters shouting Russian nationalist slogans attacked businesses in Biryulyovo which employed migrant workers from the Caucasus and Central Asia. Riot police arrested hundreds of protesters while at least 1,200 people were detained in a follow-up raid on suspected illegal migrants in Biryulyovo. District police chief Gennady Kaverin has been sacked. No details were given. An estimated 103,000 Muslims attended mass street prayers outside a mosque in Moscow on Tuesday to celebrate the Islamic feast of Eid al-Adha, police told Russian media. The prayers apparently passed off without incident. Such huge gatherings have become a tradition in recent years in a city with few mosques and a large, often transient, Muslim population.

 

· What is your attitude to hate crimes?

· What do you think of the slogan “Russia for Russians”?

· What do you feel about being a Russian?

· Is patriotism compatible with diversity?

· How is nationalism expressed politically and culturally? Is there a

· language or set of symbols that express nationalism?

· Nationalism – 1. The desire for political independence of your own nation; 2. Love of your nation, sometimes associated with the belief that your nation is better than any other. How do you understand the following expressions:

§ aggressive nationalism

§ extreme nationalism

§ militant nationalism

§ popular nationalism

§ radical nationalism

§ black nationalism

§ cultural nationalism

§ political nationalism

§ racial nationalism

· In what countries of the world can we observe the rise or revival of nationalism?

· In your view, does immigration strengthen or weaken Russian national identity?

· Have you ever witnessed racist attitudes or behaviours amongst students, including name calling, comments, jokes, stereotyping?

· Is there a tendency in Russia to use asylum seekers and immigrants as scapegoats for a wide range of problems in society?

· Do you agree or disagree with the following statements? Give your reasons.

 

· Russians have generally positive views of immigration.

· Russians have generally negative views of immigration.

· Russian attitudes about immigration are predominantly based on economic factors.

· Russian attitudes about immigration are predominantly based on cultural factors.

· Immigrants integrate well into Russian society.

· Many immigrants hold social/cultural values which are incompatible with modern Russian society.

· Immigrants generally help to fill jobs where there are shortages of workers.

· Immigrants take jobs away from native-born citizens.

· Immigrants bring down the wages of Russia-born citizens.

· Immigrants are a burden on social services like schools and hospitals.

· Prepare and carry out a debate on the motion “Russia should strictly prohibit all illegal immigration”

Presentation topic “Hate crimes in modern Russia”

 

· Statistics

· Reasons

· What to do?

 

Writing

· Watch a video on YouTube about Russian skinheads and neo-Nazis. Describe your thoughts and feelings aroused by what you have seen.

Unit 6