Racism and Xenophobia in February 2017

The following is our monthly review of instances of xenophobia and radical nationalism, along with government countermeasures, for the month of February 2017. The review is based on material gathered by SOVA Center over the course of our daily monitoring.

In February 2017, no fewer than three people suffered from xenophobic violence, of these three, one person, an attendee at a punk group’s concert in Saint Petersburg, was killed. In total, since the start of the year, according to our information, three people were killed as a result of racist violence and five were wounded or beaten in three Russian regions.

In February, it was reported that only one act of ideological vandalism took place: in Kazan a monument to the Tu-214 plane in the Krylya Sovietov park was desecrated. Presumably, the graffiti could have been written by the local ultra-right activist, creator of the Kazan Front social network page, Ramil Denyushin, who was earlier part of the Kazan Patriots Front. In total, since the start of 2017, we know of two acts of vandalism in Kazan and the Chelyabinsk region.

Public ultra-right activity ramped up in February in comparison with January.

Some nationalist groups participated in a memorial demonstration in honor of Boris Nemtsov on February 28 in Moscow. Two columns of nationalists participated in the event: the nationalist column itself and the European column, organized by Oleg Filatchev’s Russian United National Alliance movement (RONA). In the first column, along with a group from the Democratic Choice party, were activists from the Nationalists’ Party, the Nation and Freedom Committee, the Black Bloc, National-Patriotic Front Pamyat’ (Memory) and proponents of Vladimir Istarkhov. There was a total of 60 people in the column who bore imperial flags, banners in support of Dmitry Dyomushkin and Alexander Belov. The marchers chanted, “One for all and all for one”, “Down, down, down with the Cheka’s (Emergency Committee’s) order!”, “Abolish 282!”, “Freedom for Alexander Belov!”, “Enough of fraternal wars!”, “Disinfect the Kremlin”. RONA’s European column, which included activists fromHonor and Freedom public movement, 10-15 people according to various estimates. Here they shouted “Heroes do not die”, “Russia will be free”, “Lustration and De-Sovietization of Chekists”, “Russia without Putin”, “Russia is Europe”, “No war”, “Hands off Ukraine”. The demonstration in memory of Nemtsov did not proceed without incident: an activist from the National Liberation Movement (NOD) poured brilliant green dye on leader of PARNAS, Mikhail Kasyanov.

Saratov activists of the Nation and Freedom Committee held a demonstration in honor of Boris Nemtsov on the same day, about 30 people attended. Members of the New Generation movement participated.

There was also a demonstration “against political terror”, which on took place on February 26 in Saratov by a local division of the People’s Militia of Russia (formerly the People’s Militia of Minin and Pozharsky) in defense of Kvachkov, there were 10 people or fewer.

In February, raiding activity by nationalists resumed. So, activists from the National-Socialist Black Bloc and the Citadel projectraided a market of fish and vegetable sellers in an underground crossing in Moscow.

In February, we learned about only one conviction in a case about racist violence: two people were sentenced in the Tula region. For now, this is the only conviction for violence in 2017.

There were no fewer than 13 convictions for xenophobic propaganda in February. During these processes 13 people were tried in 13 regions. Since the start of the year, there have been at least 25 convictions, 25 people tried in 25 regions.

The Federal List of Extremist Materials was updated once in February (on February 16), points 4023-4029 were added, including the books of Andrey Odintsov and Priest Roman Bychkov, and also Format 18 videos.

The Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People was added to the Federal List of Extremist Organizations after it was banned by the Supreme Court of the Republic of Crimea in April 2016. We think that the ban of the Mejlis is unjustified, it is not based on the activity of the organization, but motivated by political reasons. This decision is not only illegitimate but also politically reckless, given that it aggravates interethnic relations on the peninsula.