Racism and Xenophobia in April 2016

At least 12 people in Moscow, St. Petersburg, the Moscow and Novosibirsk regions, and Transbaikal Krai suffered from right radicals’ attacks in April 2016. One of them was killed.

In all, from the beginning of the year, at least 18 people suffered from racist attacks, with one of them killed. These attacks occurred in six Russian regions: Moscow and the Moscow region, St. Petersburg, the Vladimir and Novosibirsk regions, Transbaikal Krai. (It is worth reminding that we do not include the victims of the incidents in the republics of the North Caucasus in these statistics.) Apart from that, two persons received serious death threats.

We are aware of only one act of xenophobic vandalism in April, against a Jewish cemetery in Petrozavodsk. In all, at least 12 acts of xenophobic vandalism took place in ten Russian regions from the beginning of the year.

The public activity of nationalist associations was rather low. On April 5, the Other Russia movement held actions entitled the Day of the Russian Nation in various Russian cities. The action was conceived by the movement’s leader Eduard Limonov as an addition to the Russian marches on November 4 and as an analogue to the ultra-right May Day actions. In Moscow, about 50 activists held a march in Yekaterininsky Park from Suvorov Square to Sadovo-Samotechnaya Street. In St. Petersburg, a rally was held in Nekrasov Garden that attracted some other organizations, such as the Great Fatherland Party, the Russian Imperial Movement, the National Democratic Party. The event gathered over 50 people. Apart from that, minor actions took place in Kirov, Krasnoyarsk, Nizhnii Novgorod, Rostov-on-Don, Sarov, Ulyanovsk, Vologda, and Voronezh.

In April, the right radicals held several “raids.” The National Conservative Movement (led by Mikhail Ochkin and Valentina Bobrova) installed a new “raid project” on April 8 entitled “We Are from Moscow” and held its first action. The raid members checked shawarma sellers for their registration and certificates of their production. Apart from that, Dmitry Bobrov resumed “Russian Cleanings” in St. Petersburg, the raids for the spots of illegal trade. Such activity was also started by the neo-Nazi mixed martial artist Vyacheslav Datsik (‘Ginger Tarzan’) recently released from colony.

The ultra-right attempted at using the “Kondopoga technology” in promoting the murder in the village of Makhnevo in Sverdlovsk region (a young man was killed by a native Azerbaijani on April 2) but they failed.

We are not aware of sentences passed for racist violence in April. However, we can mention the sentence against the activist of the ultra-right Restrukt organization and the “Occupy Narcophilia” project Kirill Filatov. He was given six years under Article 111 part 4 (intentionally causing grave harm to the health that led to death) and Article 162 part 4 (brigandage committed by a group of persons) of the Criminal Code.

In all, six sentences for violent crimes with hate motive considered by courts were passed from the beginning of the year in six regions. Eleven people were convicted.

22 sentences for xenophobic propaganda were passed in April against 23 persons in 18 regions. In April, we faced a sentence under the Article 354.1 part 1 (profanation of symbols of Russia’s military honour) newly included in the Criminal Code. A minor from Komsomolsk-on-Amur was fined 45,000 rubles under this article together with Article 205.2 part 1 (public calls for committing terrorism), Article 280 part 2 (public calls for committing extremist activity), Article 222 part 1 (illegal purchase of firearms) for publications on his page in “VKontakte” social network and purchase of a pistol.

In all, from the beginning of the year at least 60 sentences were passed for racist or other ultra-right propaganda against 62 people in 38 regions.

The Federal List of Extremist Materials was updated five times during the month, on April 8, 11, 12, 13 and 14. Points from 3363 to 3390 were included. The list was supplemented by various ultra-right materials published in the “VKontakte” social network, letters of the Council of the Free United Powers of the Rus Spiritual Patrimonial Power, Islamist videos calling for jihad, chechenews.com website.

The Federal List of Extremist Organizations was not updated in April. However, on April 26, the Supreme Court of Crimea deemed the social union Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People extremist. The court ruling has not come into force yet and can be appealed within a month.