Racism and Xenophobia in March 2013

The following is our monthly review of incidences of xenophobia and radical nationalism, along with any government countermeasures, for March 2013. The review is based on material gathered by Sova Center in the course of our daily monitoring.

In March of 2013, ultra-right activists assaulted no fewer than 18 people in Moscow, St. Petersburg, the Ryazan and Voronezh regions, and the Komi Republic.

As such, since the beginning of the year at least 44 people have been targeted in racist attacks, with three of them killed, in nine regions of Russia: Moscow and the Moscow region; St. Petersburg; the Vologda, Voronezh, Kaluga and Ryazan regions; the Komi Republic and the Khanti-Mansi Autonomous Region. (We remind readers that these numbers do not include victims of violence in mass rows or of incidents in the North Caucasus.)

March 2013 saw at least five acts of vandalism that could be seen as motivated by hatred or neo-Nazi ideology. That puts the year-to-date number of such incidents of vandalism at at least 15.

The most significant public events for Russia’s ultra-right were demonstrations on March 1 dedicated to “Heroes’ Day.” In years past the action was held in memory of Pskov paratroopers killed in combat in Chechnya in 2000, but this year it was held instead in support of Vladimir Kvachkov and Leonid Khabarov, as well as so-called “real Cossack” Evgeny Strigin, who was convicted of the murder of an ethnic Karachay. Actions were held in 18 cities, but none of them drew significant crowds.

Nationalists participated in practically no general protests this month. In Moscow’s March for Muscovites’ Rights, they did not have a noticeable presence. The only far-right representatives at the March for Children’s’ Rights was Sergei Baburin (who spoke at the meeting) of the Russian All-Peoples’ Union and activists from the “Russian Demography” fund, which is a project of the Russian Image.

The far right tried to disseminate news of the conviction and sentencing of Muscovite Aleksandra Lotkova to three years in prison, focusing not only on the theory that she was acting in self-defense, but also that the judge, prosecutor and one of her victims were “non-Russian.” Another story that drew nationalist attention was the death of Zenit St. Petersburg fan Evgeny Dmitriev by a blow from “Caucasian” sportsman Ilya Khubaev. About 200 Zenit fans gathered (along with riot police) on March 24 at St. Petersburg’s Kuibyshev District Court, where an application to change the sanction on Khubaev was under review. Fortunately there was no altercation between the crowd and the police.

March was not a great month for the ultra-right in terms of party-building and organization in general. The New Power party was denied registration after the Ministry of Justice found some items in the group’s application to be out of line with the federal legislation on Party Rules. The “Russians” association saw a factional split after Georgy Borovikov was replaced by Anton Severny as the head of the movement’s Moscow branch in a party election.

The far-right continues to campaign against the construction of mosques in Russia. For example, the Novokuznetsk “Russian Patriotic Club” held a March 3 demonstration on the issue.

We saw six convictions for racist violence in March 2013: in the Kaluga, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara and Sverdlovsk regions; the Republic of Bashkortostan and Karelia. These sentences convicted 11 individuals, the most notable of them being two members of Sverdlovsk neo-Nazi group "Volkssturm."

In 2013 so far there have been nine convictions for violent crimes categorized by a court as motivated by hate. These rulings sentenced 15 individuals in eight regions of the country.

We know of one sentence for xenophobic vandalism delivered in March 2013. Moscow’s Khamovniki District Court convicted Yuri Piotrovsky under Part 2 of Article 214 of the Criminal Code (vandalism motivated by religious hatred and enmity), after he poured ink on two icons at the Christ the Savior Cathedral in September 2012. He was sentenced to a year of restricted freedom, during which period he is banned from Christian churches.

Six decisions convicted as many people in five regions of the country for xenophobic propaganda. As such, since the beginning of 2013, there have been no fewer than 18 rulings against 18 people in 16 regions for racist and other ultra-right propaganda.

The Federal List of Extremist Materials was updated three times this month: on March 2, 15 and 19. It now includes items 1680-1763. These entries are comprised of a list of unidentified videos from social network VKontakte; the poem “Be Russian!” published in newspaper News of the Slavs of Southern Russia; a cult book called Hunter by American racist Andrew Macdonald; materials from Islamist party Hizb ut-Tahrir; Muslim chants; the websites Ingushetia Online and angusht.com; yet another series of books by Said Nursi; a critical article by one R. Oshroev on the historical monograph The Peoples of the North-West and Central Caucasus: Migration and Resettlement (the 60s of the XVIII century to the 60s of the XIX century); and anti-Russian art posted to an online Circassian nationalist forum.

The Federal List of Extremist Organizations was also updated to include the religious association “Horde,” which was deemed extremist by the Kizilsky District Court of Chelyabinsk in November 2012. It also now includes the Omsk public political organization “Russian National Unity” – which was deemed extremist in October 2002 by the Omsk Regional Court. As such, the Federal List of Extremist Organizations now includes 31 entries – not including 19 organizations considered terrorist – whose activities are prohibited by Russian courts. The continuation of their activities is now punishable under Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code, the organization of an extremist organization.