The SOVA Center presented its annual report “Between Manezhnaya and Bolotnaya”

On February 21, 2012, at the Independent Press Center in Moscow, the information and analytical center “SOVA” held a presentation of the report “ Between Manezhnaya and Bolotnaya: Xenophobia and radical nationalism and counteraction to them in 2011 in Russia .”

The report was presented by its authors Alexander Verkhovsky (director of the SOVA Center), Natalia Yudina and Vera Alperovich.

The new annual report of the SOVA center was devoted to two aspects of the activities of radical nationalists - political and criminal.

N. Yudina analyzed the criminal aspect of the activity of the ultra-right and announced the statistical data of the SOVA center. The main positive outcome of the year was a significant decrease in the number of victims of racist violence, including a decrease in the number of murders, especially in the main centers of far-right activity. However, the situation still remains tense and no one is safe from attacks by the ultra-right. As for the state’s counteraction to radical nationalism, it was very active in 2011. Several high-profile group cases of racist violence resulted in convictions for members of a number of far-right groups. However, the quality of prosecution for xenophobic propaganda has remained virtually unchanged. The only positive feature of such persecution is the tendency to impose minimal punishment with imprisonment “only for words.”

V. Alperovich dwelled in detail on the political aspect of the problem and analyzed the activity of Russian nationalists on the path from the riots on Manezhnaya Square in December 2010 to participation in the protest movement in December 2011. According to the specialist, right-wing radical organizations gained political weight and forced people to talk about yourself and your shares. In addition, they became, although not entirely legitimate, active participants in the December events. And the environment of publicly active nationalists was structured into two clearly defined coalitions - the radical “Russians” movement and the relatively moderate “Russian Platform” coalition. However, these coalitions have not yet been able to satisfy the growing demand for ethnonationalist ideology in Russian society, since the autonomous far-right for the most part do not trust them, and potential supporters among Russians with xenophobic views do not know about them or consider them too radical. It was not possible, in any form, despite numerous attempts, to repeat the success of Manezhnaya Square.

Director of the SOVA Center A. Verkhovsky dwelled on the current role of national radicals in the protest movement, in particular in the Civil Council. A. Verkhovsky suggested that the formation of a moderate nationalist party is on the agenda, but it is unlikely to be created in the near future due to the unconditional dominance of the radical activists.

Next, the speakers answered questions from journalists.

The text of the report was published on Polit.ru.

Sources

• Personal info
• See also:
• Raskin A. Between Manezhnaya and Bolotnaya. IAC "SOVA" presented a report on counteracting xenophobia and radical nationalism in Russia in 2011 // Expert. 2012. March 2.
• There are fewer attacks on ethnic grounds in Russia: Far-right groups deserve serious attention // New Region. 2012. February 22.
• “Sova”: attacks on ethnic grounds have decreased // BBCRussian.com. 2012. February 21.
• “Between Manezhnaya and Bolotnaya” // IKD. 2012. February 22.
• The role of the tribune: The more nationalists become politicized, the fewer bloody crimes they commit // Novye Izvestia. 2012. February 21.
• The new face of Russian Nazis // Rosbalt. 2012. February 21.
• The SOVA Human Rights Center published the results of a statistical study of murders committed in 2011 on the grounds of racism and neo-Nazism // YESTERDAY.com. 2012. February 21.
• SOVA: in 2011, 20 people died from neo-Nazi terror in Russia // New Politics. 2012. February 21.
• SOVA Center: Politics distracted nationalists from violence // National Accent. 2012. February 21.
• Spread: Nationalism in Russia: Between Manezhnaya and Bolotnaya (commentary by Vera Alperovich) // Echo of Moscow. 2012. February 21 (audio).