Without clan, without tribe...

If “two Chechens killed a Russian,” it’s not the journalists’ fault. For that matter, it's murders like these that fuel discord, not public mentions of them...

We may be prohibited from indicating the nationality of the heroes of our publications. This initiative was made by United Russia deputy Shamsail Saraliev. Just in case, we will ignore his nationality and just mention that he is a native of Chechnya. Then guess for yourself.

Saraliev justified his position in a straightforward Caucasian way. They say this provokes interethnic friction: “Every day you can see in the media: two Chechens killed a Russian, an Armenian attacked a Russian.” And with these words he violated the requirement for which he himself advocates. The Armenians, for example, were offended by making an official statement: “As for the phrase “two Chechens killed a Russian,” we will not argue, the deputy is a Chechen himself, and he knows better... However, the phrase “an Armenian attacked a Russian” cannot be found “in the media every day,” and by making such a statement, the deputy becomes a distributor of false information provoking interethnic conflicts.”

Let's be honest: the problem, of course, exists. The deputy’s initiative, for example, coincided with the start of the trial of world champion in martial arts Rasul Mirzaev , after whose blow a Moscow student died. “A Dagestani killed a Russian guy” – have you ever heard or read this? But on July 25, in St. Petersburg, another athlete, a karate trainer named Ruslan, beat to death a dog walker walking nearby during a morning jog, but in the case he is only a witness, and no one exaggerates his nationality.

Will a media ban on mentioning nationality change anything? If yes, I am with both hands in favor, but this will not happen. Turning a blind eye to a problem does not help avoid it. Quite the contrary. With your eyes closed, it is much easier to stumble over a problem.

If “two Chechens killed a Russian,” it’s not the journalists’ fault. Moreover, recently it has become politically correct to indicate not “Chechens”, but “natives of Chechnya”. For that matter, it is murders like these that fuel discord, not public mentions of them.

However, such initiatives to ban everything that runs counter to the position of the authorities are in the spirit of United Russia. Give her free rein, there will be no crime, corruption, terrorism and no alternative to Putin in the country.

Not in deeds, really, but in words.