Hate speech in the media of Buryatia, August 2004 - July 2005

Based on the report of the chairman of the public organization "Republican Human Rights Center" Yevgeny Kislov.

As part of monitoring the manifestations of nationalism and xenophobia in the Republic of Buryatia, the chairman of the public organization "Republican Human Rights Center" Yevgeny Kislov analyzed intolerant publications in the Buryat media.

He notes that the main trends in the manifestations of hate speech in the media of Buryatia roughly coincide with those that are typical for the federal media.

The main ways of expressing this "dislike" are incorrect jokes, the mention of ethnicity in the crime chronicle, the statements of politicians and public figures, as well as the reprinting of xenophobic articles from the mainstream media and arguments about "different ethnic" migration.

"Frequency analysis of jokes , - writes E. Kislov, - in the monitored newspapers for the year showed the following alignment by national orientation: Ukrainians - 72, Jews - 68, Americans - 62, Estonians - 34, Russians - 31, Belarusians - 20" . At the same time, he emphasizes that such a “selection” is clearly caused by borrowing jokes from Internet resources created in the European part of Russia: “Relatively few jokes are devoted to residents of nearby countries who come to or live in Buryatia: the Chinese - 14, the Koreans - 6, the Mongols - 3" .

The main objects of intolerant statements are people from the Caucasus and Central Asia, gypsies, Chinese, Americans and Europeans.

While Roma are traditionally portrayed in the Buryat press as scammers using hypnosis or drug dealers [1] , in relation to the natives of the Caucasus and Central Asia and the Chinese, anti-migrant rhetoric is mainly exploited. Moreover, if the "Caucasians" are presented as those who put the sectors of the Buryat economy under their control, then the Chinese simply fill the vacuum, oust the "indigenous" population from the territory of Buryatia. Forecasts of the settlement of the Far East and Transbaikalia by the Chinese are published, and the most disturbing materials are made with references to visiting experts, and the alarm is pumped up starting right from the headlines ( "There are 63,000 Chinese per Russian" ) [2] . By the way, unlike in Moscow, guest workers (in this case, the Chinese) are not accused of "knocking down" salaries: "Employers are completely fed up. They pay the Chinese fifteen thousand, and offer five to their own. They say that the Chinese work from morning to evening and do not But if they paid so much to their own, they would also stop drinking, stealing and work hard from dawn to dusk - there would be an incentive " [3] .

It is indicative that this rhetoric actively uses references not to local realities, but to the situation in Moscow and Irkutsk (with respect to Caucasians and Chinese, respectively).

The theme of the "terrorist threat" is being vigorously exploited (especially in relation to the natives of Chechnya, regardless of their ethnicity). In particular, the head of the department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation for the Republic of Belarus V.E. Eglit connects it with the appearance of migrants: "This is primarily due to the large number of objects that affect the security of the population, the facts of the occurrence of terrorist acts in Russia, the influx of refugees and temporary migrants from the republics of the North Caucasus and the states of Central Asia into Buryatia..." [4] . In connection with the "anti-terror", the press actively discussed the "nationalist" version of the murder by the platoon commander of a separate battalion of the traffic police of the traffic police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Belarus B. Lubsanov, the driver D. Maisuradze and the beating and robbery of Pakistanis by private security fighters of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Buryatia, during the investigation of which "a certain instruction surfaced, allowing all patrols since February 2004 to everywhere check the documents of people of Caucasian nationality" [5] .

"Anti-terrorist" themes were used in articles against the construction of a mosque by the Chechen community in Ulan-Ude: they hinted at their connection with the Wahhabis [6] .

The "Chechen" theme bizarrely surfaced in articles directed against Orthodox priest Igor Arzumanov (falsely accused of sexual assault). Several publications at once, with varying degrees of frankness, exploited the question of its origin. It was noted that he was born in Grozny and "Chechen blood flows" in his veins. "It is possible that now Arzumanov should be looked for among the gangs of Chechen gangs related to him by blood ," one of the newspapers (now defunct) wrote. At the same time, the phrase itself was repeated twice in the text, where it was also framed and printed in large italics. Probably "just to be sure". In another publication, one of the Buryat Cossacks spoke even more frankly: “He [Father Igor. - approx. E.K. ] desecrated our churches. Arzumanov comes from Grozny, a Chechen by nationality. I do not guarantee that he did this without intent , at a time when Russia is fighting with individual representatives of this nationality. Most likely, he did everything on purpose, because you cannot do such things in the temple. The priest raped our children, and this is well known. We have a Chechen who rapes children and is higher law" [7] .

Of course, xenophobic rhetoric is also present in the speeches of the so-called national patriots, whose statements are also presented in the Buryat media. In particular, V. Rasputin, at the presentation of his new book in Ulan-Ude, argued that “Russia is being sold out, we live in an occupied country. Alien customs, alien culture. Was Russia an uncivilized country? there was the best culture, the best literature, the best morality... Everyone knows that new masters will come - not from ours, from other lands. And they are already coming. There are more and more of them. We are delaying this moment as best we can, and we don't even want to talk about it, because it's unpleasant to talk about it. We are internationalists, you know, and why should we speak badly about Caucasians, Chinese or anyone else. Everyone loves each other and should love. And yet the substitution is already happening , new owners come, stand on strong legs, and tomorrow they will stand even stronger, and then it is not known what will happen ... " [8]

Americans and Western Europeans are traditionally accused of negatively influencing Russia and its people (corruption, infringement of moral values, etc.). This topic has been exploited by journalists in controversy related to family planning programs and the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases. It has been argued that these programs are part of the American plan to corrupt and destroy the Russian people. "West" and "America" ​​are also accused of drug addiction, alcoholization of Russia, inculcation of smoking, support of "sects".

A new phenomenon in the Buryat press is the "anti-Baltic" and "anti-orange" hysteria, which is predominantly political rather than ethnic. In close connection with them, "political hate speech" is also used against the "West": because of the grant support of public organizations opposed to the existing regime in Russia.

Notes .

1. Sodnompilov D. Fraudsters have become more active in Ulan-Ude // Number one. 2004. December 8; Seizure of two thousand doses of heroin // Moskovsky Komsomolets in Buryatia. 2005 May 25; "Business" is covered // Prime-TV. 2005. May 25.

2. Panfilova O. There are 63,000 Chinese per Russian // Friday Plus. 2005. July 27; Tsydypov V. The last people in the north // Youth of Buryatia. 2005. July 27.

3. What is closer to you: Easter or May Day // Youth of Buryatia. 2005. April 27.

4. Namsaraeva S. Towards the main goal // Buryatia. 2005. April 23.

5. Nikitina T. Highway Patrol. The head of the traffic police beat the violator of the traffic to death // Moskovsky Komsomolets in Buryatia. 2005. May 11; She is. "Face control. It is better for foreigners coming to Ulan-Ude not to walk along our streets without security / / Moskovsky Komsomolets in Buryatia. 2004. August 11.

6. Gulyaev V. Mosque in Ulan-Ude: purpose or reason? // Central newspaper. 2004. August 4; Sizov V. What sermons will be read in the new mosque? // There. 2005. April 6; Sokolov V. The mystery of preaching // Youth of Buryatia. 2005. April 13.

7. Sanzhiev P. Who "ordered" Igor's father? The true story of the most scandalous persecution of a clergyman in Buryatia // Number one. 2004. September 1st.

8. Panfilova O. About us, about ourselves and about the fate of Russia // Pyatnitsa plus. 2005. June 8.

Sources

• Kislov Evgeny. Report on manifestations of xenophobia, racial discrimination and anti-Semitism in the Republic of Buryatia (events of August 2004 - July 2005) //