“Locals” held another anti-migrant rally

At the end of October 2008, the youth movement "Locals" held an action in Moscow against illegal taxi drivers "Illegal driving - a criminal on the loose " June 2007). On October 23-25, 2008, activists of the movement handed out leaflets and stickers in different parts of the city, "calling to boycott the services of illegal drivers" , and on October 26, 2008, they completed the action on Theater Square in Moscow.

The stickers handed out by the Locals reproduced a stylized picture (not a photograph) of last year with a girl and a driver whose face is covered with an image with a road sign "brick", but behind the sign one can easily guess the "Caucasian appearance". On the same days, anonymous stickers similar to those described above were pasted in subway cars, but on which the driver's face was clearly of "Caucasian appearance" . The leaflets also depicted "a road roller that crushes a car with the inscription "Dachshunds"" .

The protesters called on the residents of the capital to "boycott the services of immigrants in a private cab . " Activists held banners reading - criminal on the loose!" "Illegal driver

Activists of "Local" announced their intention to apply to the Government of the Russian Federation "with a demand for tougher responsibility in relation to criminals who do not have registration . " (Lack of registration is an administrative violation, not a crime and has nothing to do with the right to drive a car).

During the action on Theater Square, about ten activists were taken to the Kitaygorod police station, and later all the detainees were released after checking their documents.

Let us recall that in June 2007 a similar action became the reason for applying to the Prosecutor General's Office with a request to check it for violations of Article 282 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (incitement of national hatred) by the participants of the action.

Despite the fact that the formal call of the "Local" action is to fight illegal migrants behind the wheel, the activists do not explain how they will define "illegal migrants". Officially "Locals" declare that "skin color doesn't matter" . is an "illegal" At the same time, informally, in the clarifications to the action, there are direct statements that "any private trader-Caucasian" . However, even if "unofficial" clarifications are left aside, a person's residence status can only be determined by checking their documents. Only police officers have such a right, and even then not all of them. Thus, "Local" offer potential participants of the action to either go accompanied by a policeman, or break the law: either illegally checking documents, or directly discriminating people on ethnic grounds, determining their status by "non-Slavic appearance."

Voronov A. "Locals" took up checkers / The pro-Kremlin movement declared war on illegal taxi drivers // Kommersant. 2008. October 27.