After Attacks in Russia, Fears of Xenophobia

[bananas]

Lilya Paizulayeva, a Chechen in Moscow, worries about profiling and said, “This whole week I have felt like a stranger in this city.”

After Attacks in Russia, Fears of Xenophobia
By MICHAEL SCHWIRTZ
Published: April 5, 2010

MOSCOW — Lilya Paizulayeva descended into the subway anxiously, trying to keep her distance from the crowds and the newly deployed and heavily armed police officers. She cringed at the train’s loud metallic shriek, pressing herself to the wall.

She was not scared of suicide bombers — she feared being taken for one herself.

With her jet-black hair and large dark eyes, Ms. Paizulayeva, a 26-year-old native of Chechnya, looks very much the daughter of Russia’s fiery North Caucasus region, from where, investigators say, two young women traveled to Moscow to blow themselves up last week in the rush-hour throngs, killing at least 40 people.

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[pampango]

1. "Xenophobic Sentiment Has Grown Sharply Following the Tragedy on the Moscow Metro"

http://www.russiaprofile.org/page.php?pageid=Politics&articleid=a1270485656

"Although Nazi literature has been prohibited in Russia since 2002, statistics show that the level of xenophobia in the country remains high. A poll conducted by the independent Gallup agency found that only 37 percent of Russians think that their city is a safe place to live for racial or ethnic minorities. This is the second-lowest percentage across more than 70 countries that the Gallup poll encompassed, and the lowest among former Soviet republics surveyed.

Data from the SOVA center (an NGO that tracks neo-Nazi and xenophobic violence) shows that at least 71 people were killed and at least 333 were injured in incidents of racist and neo-Nazi violence in Russia last year. Racially-motivated violent crimes were reported in 40 Russian regions, including Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod and Sverdlovsk. Most attacks were perpetrated by the ultra-right, although a few attacks by nationalists from the Caucasus were reported as well. Most victims of xenophobic attacks were people from Central Asia (29 killed and 68 injured) and from the Caucasus (11 killed, 47 injured). In January and February of 2010, at least 42 people became victims of racist and neo-Nazi attacks, leading to seven fatalities."

The popularization of Nazi and xenophobic attitudes in society is a result of a collapse in migration policy, the education system and social services in the past few decades,” said Stepanov. “We should understand that the modern neo-Nazi is from the generation that grew up in the ‘new Russia,’ with ubiquitous corruption, cynicism and popular ideas of personal wealth and power.” While living standards remain low, especially in some of Russia’s regions, some Russians will continue looking for “foreign enemies” and redirecting their aggression toward migrants.

Anti-fascists believe that numerous measures are needed to combat neo-Nazism in Russia. Firstly, the government should develop civil society, not suppress it. Secondly, the country should be governed by the rule of law. Surveys show at that present, most Russians do not trust the authorities and law-enforcement agencies. Moreover, social problems such as crime, heavy drinking and drug abuse are yet to be solved. Russia has become wealthier in the past few decades, but it is on a downward spiral in the social and culture spheres, antifascists believe. Members of Antifa.ru claim that the government should not prohibit books, but any far-right organizations and movements that promote neo-Nazi ideas.
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"The popularization of ... xenophobic attitudes in society is a result of a collapse in migration policy, the education system and social services in the past few decades." - Xenophobia is not a problem to the same degree here as in Russia, but the three causes cited are eerily reminiscent of trends in the US over the past few decades.