Nationalists want to convince citizens that they are not villains

about whether Russian radical nationalists have legal political prospects . Vlast' observer Dmitry Kamyshev , director of the Sova Information and Analytical Center, told Alexander Verkhovsky

How many radical nationalists are there in Russia now, ready to go to Manezhnaya again on occasion?

Of course, there are no exact data, but can be roughly calculated. There are participants in various marches - people who came there, apparently, with some convictions. Perhaps not all of them are very strong, but I tend to think that the overwhelming the majority, 80-90% of the participants, are members of relatively stable groups, that is, those who share such beliefs quite consciously. Except there are some people who do not go to marches, but they should not be so many. From this we can conclude that it is real in the country more or less organized radical nationalists somewhere in the thousands fifteen. This, of course, is a very rough estimate - if they were given organize a party, then more people would probably sign up for it.

And how much more? Can one of them include all Russians who, for example, wholly or "within reasonable limits" support the slogan "Russia for the Russians"? survey by the Levada Center, it was 58% in total ...

No, obviously not. We had ready experiment with the Motherland party, which combined social and populist slogans with nationalistic, but very moderately worded - so that it would suit just a normal layman, without any national socialism. And they got on federal and regional about 10% in the elections, and in the elections to the Moscow City Duma, from which they were removed, they predicted 15%, because xenophobia is much stronger in Moscow than in other cities. But, of course, it's still not 50-60%. And the reason is here in that the vast majority of Russians are very apolitical and unwilling to convert their views into real support for some party. We are it we see on the example of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation: many share its individual slogans, but everyone still don't vote for it. And the same goes for nationalists. But if they could organize such a party and they would be allowed to register it, then they would definitely have overcome the Duma's seven percent barrier.

The 2010 Owl report noted that that nationalists are trying to demarginalize, to accept a more decent view - apparently, with the prospect of legal political activity. This process continues?

In fact, this is a very strange process. Let's say DPNI (Movement against illegal immigration, informal leader — Alexander Belov; recognized by the court as extremist and banned in April 2011) was originally a project of just such movement, which should be legal and the attitude of the authorities to which must be tolerable. But this way of coexisting with the regime turned out to be unviable, and now there is no reason to think that the attitude towards nationalists like DPNI will change so much that they will even be allowed to elections. And their attempts at demarginalization are not focused on today day, but for tomorrow, not for the authorities, but for the rest of the active groups society. Nationalists want to convince citizens that they are not villains, not Nazis with knives in their teeth, but normal participants in the political process. So they push for democracy, human rights, atrocities "bloody regime", persecution for beliefs: this should make them the same as, say, Solidarity, but simply with different views. AND this technique does not work so badly: as long as the barrier is not broken, but there are already gaps in it.

Do the radicals raging at Manezhnaya need a political platform and legal politics at all?

Of course, there are guys who are not about what platform they don’t think, but act according to the principle “I saw a migrant - and in snout". But there are also those, usually a little older, who are already thinking trying to come up with a strategy. And if the situation suddenly change, then the perceptions of these people may also change. Now they stigmatize public nationalists for being apostates and through one FSB agents. But if on the part of the authorities these "apostates" there will be an indulgence, if someone is allowed something, then the current underground workers will have to humble their pride and join those who allowed.

And what about the domestication of nationalists they even started talking in Right Cause - is this a steady trend? That is even liberals try to become a little nationalist, because is it required by society?

There is a topic on which all the time seems to be they say, but at the same time, formally, it is not on the political agenda presented. Yes, there was a meeting of the Presidium of the State Council, the president talked about it, but it was in February, and since then no one has heard from him have not heard of this topic. But someone will talk anyway. One - to score points in this election, but for others, maybe it's more a strategic choice, because it is clear that after the elections this topic will not go anywhere, and in general we have it for a long time. And that means everything political forces sooner or later will have to somehow orient yourself. It’s just that now this is not only not required of them, but it is even undesirable that they have a clear position on this issue. Instead, they should repeat some general, streamlined phrases.

But isn't Putin meeting with football fans and speaking out in favor of tougher registrations a distinct position?

All this was in December, right after Manezhnaya. And when the nix was over, all these maneuvers, clearly designed to appeasement of the rebellious masses, immediately ceased. And in general it cannot be said that the authorities are systematically flirting with the nationalists. She, in my opinion, just systematically muffles the topic. Besides criminal prosecution of right-wing radicals continues: for example, for last year we counted 320 people convicted only for violent crimes where the court recognized the hate motive as qualifying mark. The numbers are huge compared to what it was a few years ago. So it’s impossible to say that these people are in power trying to pat on the head.

But the well-known formula "if you can't defeat some force, then you need to lead it "no one has canceled. Your experts noted that cultivating moderate nationalism through youth organizations power has ceased, but why not switch to adults?

I think it is, at least not yet. will be done in such an explicit form, as was the case with the pro-Kremlin movements: for a certain organization to copy the slogans of the DPNI. It was completely ineffective policy. The government should have come up with any special ideas so that these supposedly official nationalists differed from the unofficial ones in something other than surnames. Here it would be significant success for the government. Because then the people who in principle, they sympathize with nationalist ideas, albeit not very deeply in political nuances, they will listen to this.

One well-known nationalist power, seems to have already attracted: in September, Dmitry Rogozin will probably enter "People's Front". Can it be considered a suitable alternative to others leaders of the nationalists, capable of replenishing the treasury of the ONF at least for those the most 10% of the votes at the expense of nationalist-minded citizens?

The question here is still not in percentage, but in so that voters have an understanding that the ONF, as it were, represents everyone citizens. But I'm not sure that Rogozin is the person who can make a real alternative to the conditional Belov. They are about the same they say, but the alternative to Rogozin is only in the sense that he loyal when asked. And Belov is naughty. But this, me seems to be not much of a difference.

Will they have the desired effect? the usual slogans of Rogozin? After all, it is one thing when he said this, being in the opposition, and quite another - in the "People's Front" ...

Of course, in this sense, Rogozin risks reputation, because people still expect from the authorities not statements, but some action. If, roughly speaking, an opposition figure says: "We for fewer Tajiks on the streets", then everyone expects that if he comes to power, then he will do something to reduce them. And if then the ruling politician says the same thing, no one is interested: everyone will evaluate by results. And it is not very clear whether all these who joined the ONF to preserve the reputation of certain public figures who like on their own. You can, of course, stand in such a position for some time, but then one of two things: either people begin to believe that you are just part of the power and this criticism of yours does not mean anything, or you must power to withdraw and again become the opposition.

Sources

• "Nationalists want to convince citizens that they are not villains" // Kommersant Vlast. 2011. August 29.