Rally of foreign students in St. Petersburg

On December 27, 2005, about 50 African students from St. Petersburg universities took part in an unsanctioned protest rally against the killings of foreign students, which took place near the Smolny. Students from other countries, Russian students and representatives of a number of public organizations also took part in the rally. The rally was organized by the African Unity movement. Representatives of the Russian public organizations "Memorial" and "Nashi" also came to the rally. In total, about 300 people took part in the action.

The rally organizers told journalists that they did not consider the measures taken by the city authorities to ensure the safety of foreign students sufficient. At the same time, they intend to act only by the methods provided for by Russian legislation. Among the slogans put forward by the protesters were "Fascism will not pass!" and calls for the authorities to ensure the safety of the students "or leave" .

Alexander Viktorov, Chairman of the Committee on Science and Higher School of the Administration of St. Petersburg, addressed the protesters. The leaders of the organization "African Unity" told him about their claims to the insufficiently effective work of local authorities.

At the rally, a letter of protest from foreign students was handed over to representatives of the city authorities:

* "... The geography of losses over the past 2 years is extensive: Cameroon, Tunisia, Morocco, Congo, Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, China, Vietnam, Azerbaijan, ... Russia.

We call on law enforcement agencies to eradicate this evil from St. Petersburg. There is no doubt that the perpetrators interpret the inaction of the authorities and the indifference of society as a certain approval of such actions ... We call on governments that send students to study in Russia ... to insistently require the Russian government to ensure their complete safety.

With your silence, you are helping extremists, racists and fascists. Let's say "no" together.

In an open letter, the students also demanded "not to settle foreigners in obviously criminal areas", "to strengthen police patrols near student dormitories", and also called on "the governments of those countries whose citizens suffered damage to demand from the Russian government appropriate compensation for the victims" .

A spokesman for African Unity, Ali Nasser, said that the departure of foreign students from St. Petersburg, as well as a decrease in the number of new foreign students coming to the city, is a "trend".

Sources

• Foreign students held a rally at the Smolny (St. Petersburg) // IA REGNUM. 2005. December 27.
• Rotkevich E. Foreign students demand compensation from St. Petersburg // News. 2005. December 28.