St Petersburg – today at 8 pm a citizen of Afghanistan was assaulted and severely injured downtown. Eyewitnesses say that the three men who attacked the victim were dressed in police uniforms; furthermore there’s evidence that the attackers were police officers and that they were drunk while beating the Afghan man. At this time, St. Petersburg officials won’t comment on their investigation.
This incident follows multiple attacks in Russia based on the skin color, ethnicity and national origin of the victims. For more stories related to this topic, please see the Human Rights section of Russia Blog.
The Obshestvennaya Palata (Social Counsel) of Russia recently held hearings on the increase in violence against non-Russians and ethnic minorities in the last few years. Among the Counsel's suggestions, they proposed to create government TV channels and radio stations which would broadcast in the languages of Russia's largest minority groups. The counselors also admitted that too many Russian youths confuse loving their Motherland with jingoism and xenophobia, and schools and parents should be paying more attention to educating children about the true meanings of patriotism, national diversity and common sense.
President Putin has condemned the violence, and asked the FSB (Russia's equivalent to the FBI), Russian police and prosecutors to pay much closer attention to their work in combating racist attacks and hooliganism.
Personally, I think that this wave of ethnic-related violence in Russia has peaked. Russian government and human rights advocates are working hard to prevent further attacks; however, these improvements will not come over night, since this thuggishness is rooted in a fundamental problems in Russian society.
Comments
Kim, you're a disrespectfully ignorant person.
You're like a slow go Yugo to Mishka being like a Ferrari.
Vroom!
Go Mishka, go!
Posted by: Zhana Klimova | April 17, 2006 12:12 PM
Kim
I notice that you identify pro-Russians as "Russian nationalists."
If a Polish person came on here making pro-Polish comments, would you label that individual as a "Polish nationalist?"
Posted by: Andrew Waller | April 17, 2006 8:12 PM
This is absurdly hypocritical:
"Still not a word of sympathy from any Russian for the victims of racist violence in Russia, much less any suggestion for remedial steps.
How sad. I fear for the future of Russia."
***********
So when a given minority is periodically beaten in America, every American is obligated to apologize as if they themselves committed the act.
Another beauty:
"As the above link shows, the Moscow Times has reported on yet ANOTHER killing of a dark-skinned student by Russian racists.
If a SLAV were killed by anti-Slav racists, everyuone knows we'd see outrage in Russian media an Slavs pouring into the street.
Undoubtedly, this forum would be filled with the rantings of the Russians nationalists.
But when the non-Slavs get killed?
Silence."
One of the Oliver Bronsen spams from awhile back had posted a Moscow Times article, followed by Bronsen's rhetorical question of: "Where is the Russian Martin Luther King?"
Oliver Bronsen's previously cited JRL post(at the Sharapova Russia Blog Comments section) cited TMT, where Kim Betty/Kim Zigfled was banned as noted by a Peter.
I once again applaud Russia and Russians for being on the whole very open and tolerant towards others.
ON BEING RUSSIAN
http://www.russiablog.org/2005/12/on_being_russian.html
Posted by: Michael Averko | April 25, 2006 12:55 AM
I have bookmarked you yet!!!! http://cfnmfever.servik.net/
Posted by: cfnm story | March 8, 2007 4:03 AM