Hate crimes in Russia: Citizens of former Soviet republics fear Russia’s streets. Part 3

“Go ahead and write it!” said Nikolay Bondarik, commander of the Saint Petersburg Russian Guard. “I wouldn’t intervene if I saw skinheads attacking a Tajik! It would be stupid for me as a leader of Russia’s nationalist and patriotic movement to suffer at the hands of skinheads!”

I went to see Bondarik because the only way to stop skinheads from acting out against non-Slavs is to ask nationalists who are recognized by the movement to appeal to the masses. It would have been wonderful if Dmitry Bobrov had made the announcement, but he’s in prison. His contacts were frightened when I explained the situation over email, so we had to go with the most available option.

We chose Bondarik from those who aren’t in jail. He’s a nationalist with a long history of “patriotism.” He was one of the first people convicted of a hate crime in Russia in 1994.

Our operation was surprisingly easy. Bondarik was very composed, likely because he planned on being sent to jail the following day for holding an unsanctioned “Russian March.” This is what he asked us to pass along to the skinheads:

“Dear Friends! If you are genuine Russian patriots who care with all your heart about the fate of the Russian people and our country, then quit the foolishness! Russia will be no better off should you attack a Tajik with your friends and get sent to prison for 10 years. If you want to help your people, then join patriotic political parties. Yes! You must take part in meetings, pickets and distribute leaflets. I am speaking to you as my brothers. I will be sorry if your fate is ruined and you end up spending your near future in prison. No one will be any worse off but you.”

Maybe his message will affect someone. But that’s unlikely. The young boys who go hunting for non-Russians at local metro stations don’t want to get organized or attend meetings. They have a different mentality than the police force, which consolidated its efforts to catch Bondarik the following day in Saint Petersburg. The number 6,000 policemen comes to mind… Heavy jeeps lined up along Nevsky Prospect. Small “State Electrics” vans hid in the alleys. Armed police were packed inside. Bondarik wanted his arrest and trial to be a loud scandal, but things didn’t go his way. He was caught so quickly the telephone operators didn’t have time to turn on their cameras. There were about 12 policemen for each participant in the Russian March.

Standing there, waiting for the participants to be dispersed, I thought that if so many policemen monitored the metro we’d have no problems with skinheads attacking non-Slavs.

An elevator, Akhmet and a dog

It’s impossible to send all skinheads to jail, just as it’s impossible to kill all foreigners.

“There are 25 million of us non-Russians here,” Tuvinian journalist Sayana Mongush said. “What are they going to do with us all? A long time ago I could have complained to the District Communist Party. But what can I do now?”

The problem has nothing to do with the lack of a complaint book. The Strasbourg Court could easily serve as a substitute for the District Communist Party. But Russia no longer has a governmental organ that focuses only on ethic-related issues. After the Ministry of Ethnic Affairs was dismantled in 2002, the Ministry of Regional Development began to handle these issues.

Tolerance is the polar opposite of xenophobia. It’s a unfortunate concept as discredited as the words “patriot,” “liberal” and “democrat.” Of course, it’s impossible to force a nation to fall in love with foreigners over night, but there are solutions. For three years a special program has operated in Saint Petersburg — one of Russia’s most xenophobic cities — encouraging tolerance. The program has printed posters with calenders about how to live peacefully. Maybe that will help.

“Russian March” in Saint Petersburg. There were about 12 policemen for every participant in the Russian March.

It’s wrong to think that nothing is being done to promote tolerance in Russia. An entire state program existed until 2005 that was managed by top European specialists from the European Commission (TASIS). I took a look at their textbook. It was sadly upsetting.

For example: “A young boy named Akhmet moved to Moscow with his parents not long ago, and became friends with a local girl named Vera. They visited each other at home and drank tea. Several days later Vera greeted Akhmet in the elevator after returning home from walking her dog. But Akhmet didn’t respond. Instead, he crowded into the the corner of the elevator and stood there quietly. Reason: Akhmet’s religion considers dogs to be dirty animals. Lesson: Vera should have left the elevator right away so as not to offend Akhmet.” They don’t mention that Akhmet lives in Moscow and needs to get used to the Russian way of life.

This option might suit the British, but certainly not the Russians. The British went as far as refusing to use “The Three Little Pigs” at schools to appease their large Muslim minority. That’s how most programs work in the West. But that simply won’t pass here.

We can’t fight xenophobia on separate streets or cities. We need to clean the air throughout the entire country. First, we need to solve our problems with migration and crimes against ethnic Russians. We can’t sit back and rely on the government to fix the situation. Xenophobia is growing like a cancer. It’s so widespread in Russia it’s difficult to determine where it starts and where it ends. What’s the solution? We need to educate ourselves and our youth. This goes for everyone — our policemen, teachers, judges, journalists and doctors. We need to set daily limitations for ourselves to change the way we think and the situation at large. READ MORE