Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock
By Sean at 6 February, 2008, 10:06 am
“Belligerent nationalism, xenophobia, appeals to violence and ethnic hatred have always been and will always be a time bomb under our sovereignty,” Putin told the heads of the Interior Ministry today. This is quite a frank admission on the part of Putin, who has often been accused using nationalism and xenophobia to the Kremlin’s political advantage.
Putin’s statement is rooted in reality. On Tuesday, the SOVA Center released new stats on hate crimes in Russia. Once again they show that racial violence is on the rise. SOVA recorded 67 deaths and 550 injured as a result of racism, xenophobia and nationalism, a 13 percent increase from 2006. The bulk of the victims were students and immigrants laborers from Africa, Asia, Jews, and even antifa activists.
It already appears that 2008 will be just as racially violent. SOVA has already recorded 39 victims of neo-Nazi violence for January. Thirteen of the 39 resulted in death. As SOVA head Galina Kozhevnikova told reporters, “Neo-Nazis are out not to beat up (their victims), but to kill.”
SOVA’s report comes just as police in Yakaterinburg have arrested a gang of eight skinhead youths suspected of committing 37 murders. I look forward to Buster’s promised elaboration on this case on his blog, Moscow Through Brown Eyes. In Moscow, the body of a Kyrgyz man was found dead with more than 30 stab wounds. Stabbings are the hallmark of skinheads.
And the bomb ticks on . . .
Popularity: 4% [?]
Comments
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
It start from day one with Russians. The wife was teling me that a teacher in school once told them ”blacks belong in Africa, Chinese in China, Americans in America and Russians in Russia”. In Russia one deals with this ad-hoc racism on a daily basis. The Rodina commercial ’sweep away the rubbish’ was a thundering disgrace and wouldnt be tolerated anywhere civilised. And the cops continue to charge with hooliganism raps instead of racist attacks. I’m sure I’ve told ye all my story of my trip to see Spartak during Hitlers birthday. The Russians need to take a long hard look at themselves.
“The Rodina commercial ’sweep away the rubbish’ was a thundering disgrace and wouldnt be tolerated anywhere civilised.”
The banned Rodina commercial?
“The Rodina commercial ’sweep away the rubbish’ was a thundering disgrace and wouldnt be tolerated anywhere civilised.””\
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90SDkhwnEIo&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pf9lIl4Xqyg
) Alright, point taken) But wasnt that Rodina – I’m sure it was Rodina, I’ve seen it myself, maybe 2 years ago – banned?
IIRC the ad originally aired, then it was banned, and then Rodina changed it so it was in French (capitalizing on the riots in Paris). Then Rodina itself got the boot.
I’ve always wondered about that ad. About whether Rodina merely got the go-ahead to run it without realizing that it would be used to help rid the political scene of the party. Rogozin was too talented and charismatic for the Kremlin to give a free hand in courting voters. That’s why he’s in Brussels now. I was on the campaign trail with the guy, and he’s an impressive politician. If he were to square off against Medvedev in a debate shown on national television, I bet a lot of viewers would think he’d make a fine president.
That makes a lot of sense Carl. Rogozin is a bright boy, and I’m sure that the Kremlin is happy he’s in Brussels.
Adding my five cents… Really I was not happy of Rogozin acting as a federal politician. I’m better viewing him expressing his talents in NATO (strenghtening the country), rather than as a nationalist in Russian public life (weakining the country by always going at the edge of inducing ethnical strife…)