Review of Moscow bureau for human rights

On November 4 public mass actions of radical nationalists known as “Russian march” took place in some cities of Russia. During the meetings of radical nationalists the extremist content slogans were heard as well as those calling to interethnic dissension, and they were not suppressed by law enforcement officers. The persons who chanted these slogans were not called to account. In St. Petersburg militia did not manage to prevent the conflict of radicals with “antifa”. 

Moscow bureau for human rights, Moscow anti-fascist center, Fund “Holocaust”, Federation of migrants of Russia express their indignation due to aggressive xenophobic, racist, neo-Nazi character of this action and address to the general public prosecutor of RF Yuri Chaika with a demand to arrange an inspection and call the organizers of the “march” to account. 

The “march” arranged in Moscow district of Lyublino by Movement against illegal migration (DPNI), Slavic union (SS), Russian nation-wide union (RONS) and their smaller allies like Union of Orthodox gonfalon-carriers and NPF “Memory” was the most mass action of this kind. The eye-witnesses and employees of Chief directorate of home affairs (GUVD) estimated the number of march participants from several hundreds to 2,5-3 thousand. The nationalists themselves, exaggerating the number of participants as usual, announced 4, 5, 7 and even 10 thousand participants.

The procession itself was held under the flags with symbols of Movement against illegal migration and “Slavic union”. Most of the march participants were young people at the age of 17-25 with medical bands and masks with cuts for their eyes.

The law-and-order was provided by about a thousand of militia employees during the “march”, and the place was patrolled by a helicopter. 

The procession was interrupted by militia employees who requested to put away the banner with inscription “Russian march”: in the opinion of militiamen, such a banner did not correspond to the stated procession objective. The banner was rolled up, and the action continued after that. The march participants were also warned about inadmissibility of extremist character slogans. 

During the march the slogan was often chanted: “Well, fuck away from here, Russia is for the Russians, Moscow is for the Muscovites” as well as appeal of football fans “Ziga-zaga, oy-oy-oy!”. The participants also chanted: “He who does not jump is a Caucasian”. Among other slogans of the “march” the following were noted: “Migrants today – occupants tomorrow!”, “Russian order to Russian land, Russian authority to Russian land!”, “End of occupation! Freedom to Russian nation!”, “This is our city! This is our country! Russian order or war!”, “Kondopoga! Kondopoga!”, “Let’s save the Russian nation – Let’s close the Southern migration!”, “We make mincemeat of our enemies – this is a Russian march, brothers!”, “Our grandfathers drove Poles and Germans away, and we won’t be under a foreign yoke either!” being of frankly xenophobic character. 

The participants of “Russian march” took the flags with Nazi symbols several times. Nazi salutations were recorded more than once. The firer was thrown into the column of the movement participants but there were no wounded. 

The following spoke at the meeting: head of Slavic union Dmitry Dyomushkin, leader of RONS Igor Artyomov, colonel Vladimir Kvachkov, leader of movement “Automatic pistol” Yuri Yekishev, chairman of National council of DPNI Vladimir Yermolayev, representative of NPF “Memory” Georgy Borovikov, head of ROD Konstantin Krylov, representative of action group of Lyublino residents Alexey Mazur as well as musicians Sergey Tumanov and Alexey Poznakharev. Dmitry Dyomushkin called upon his companions-in-arms upon arming themselves following the instructions for purchasing smooth-bore arms – the instructions were actively disseminated by Nazi-skinheads. The instruction told in detail what documents are necessary for purchasing the arms and also recommended models were named in it: OSA, Makarov’s gun and shotgun “Snipe”. Dyomushkin stated that “just two things will be of real value in Russia soon – food and cartridges”. According to him, “any authority has a right to exist only while it protects my nation! There are lots of aliens in Moscow but the authority thinks there are not. They want to bring million of the Chinese, million of Azerbaijanis here else!”. 

Colonel Vladimir Kvachkov stated that after December 1 “there would be no army in Russia, and after March there would be no nuclear shield either”. In his opinion, “if the authority is afraid and does not want to defend our Fatherland then we should do that ourselves”. 

At the end of the meeting the declaration called “Russian truth” was announced. It listed again the demands of nationalists interlaced by pseudo-human rights rhetoric. These demands included “Right for reunification” – i.e. actually for revision of Russian borders with neighboring states, creation of parties based upon ethnicity and religion, creation of “ethnic state”. They also included the demand of “defending national honor and dignity” and persecuting “Russo-phobia”. The last item of declaration developed the idea of developing paramilitary units for catching power being popular among the nationalists: “The authority being idle in front of hostile encroachments upon the interests of Russian people looses its legitimacy. In this case, for preventing the danger threatening Russia and Russian people, the Russians have a right to arrange the people’s volunteer corps”. The meeting was finished with RNE anthem “We are Russians! God is with us!”. 

The concert of ultra-right groups took place at Bolotnaya square in the center of Moscow arranged by the movement “Russian image” with participation of the group “Breast drill”; content of its songs was acknowledged aggressive-nationalistic more than once. The speakers were carefully choosing their words as the meeting presenter was stressing permanently that the group was going to perform in Moscow later on so it called upon those present to behaving purely peacefully.

For example, one of the speakers at the concert stated: “Some infringe upon the rights of Russians. But we will count these diasporas and make them what we all think here!” According to the estimates, about 2 thousand people assembled at the square for the performance of “Breast drill”. 

Eurasian union of youth (ESM) held a meeting in “defense” of Russian history; main slogans of the activity were “Nevsky, Stalin, Putin!”, “We are Soviet!” and “Single soul – single nation!” ESM leaders and activists spoke at the activity that assembled about 400 people. In particular, the leader of this patriotic organization Valery Korovin congratulated those assembled on the occasion of the holiday and noted that “Russia is the unity of lots of peoples, in other words – empire, and it must remain it”. ESM commissar Dmitry Yefremov stated that “defense of Russian history is not a defense of the past but a defense of our future”. 

In St. Petersburg 250 persons participated in the meeting of nationalists in Polyustrovo park (the procession was prohibited, the nationalists were made sit into militia buses and thus brought to the park). The nationalists unrolled the banners “The Great Russia must be!”, “Russians are coming!”, “Russia, forward!” and started shouting the slogans: “Glory to the clan, death to the monster!”, “Russian order to Russia!” etc, and raising their hands in Nazi salutation. 

During the meeting 5-10 representatives of “Antifa” movement appeared who unrolled the poster “Nationalism – to the rubbish heap” and after that several nationalists attacked the anti-fascists. The scuffle started, and the privates of Special militia detachment had to interfere into it. Several persons were detained. 

Later on St. Petersburg GUVD informed that four nationalists were detained in connection with the incident in Polyustrovo park. At the end of the meeting DPNI leaders proposed those assembled to hold a “Russian march” walking around a hill with stele shouting “Russian order to Russia!”. 

The marches also took place in Tula, Nizhniy Novgorod (about 200 persons participated, the nationalists announced 500 participants, 15 persons were detained), Volgograd (about 200 Participants, the nationalists announced 500 participants), Novosibirsk (150-200 participants, the nationalists announced 500 participants), Izhevsk (150-200 persons, RONS and “People’s union” were the organizers), Kazan (the “march” was held here as a cross procession), Kirov (the nationalists announced 250 participants), Barnaul (the “march” was arranged by the followers of Union of Russian people here and took place as a cross procession assembling 25 persons), Irkutsk (the “march” that assembled several dozens participants was headed by the leader of “Union of Russian people” A. Turik here). 

Unauthorized “marches” that were announced in Belgorod and Ryazan did not take place. In Kursk where the “march” was prohibited the nationalists confined themselves to a silent “gathering” of several dozens people (about 20 persons assembled in Kursk). In Vladivostok, due to a quarrel of the “march” leaders, the activity organizers did not manage to coordinate its holding with the city administration, and due to this the nationalists in the number of 30 persons where standing in the public garden where the march beginning was planned for about half an hour and dispersed after the leader of Primorsky branch of “Union of Slavs” Alexander Komarov announced there would be no march. The similar story took place in Samara. 

In Moscow anti-fascist actions also took place. The action of youth movement “Our folk” titled “We are all our folk” was the most large-scale; it took place at Taras Shevchenko embankment where up to 20 thousand people assembled – mostly natives of Russian regions. In pavilions that were also placed here, at the embankment, the persons interested were proposed to hand-in the books for orphans from children’s homes in Chuvashia, Ingushetia and Moscow (they succeeded in collecting 10 thousand books). Except this, the organizers called to sharing the blood – “no matter of what nationality” – with gravely ill children from various parts of the country and told about the procedure of donating blood. 

Various pop-performers performed beside the monument to Taras Shevchenko from which the procession started. The procession itself was accompanied by special platforms from which the dancing music was heard. “Russia for everybody” was the main slogan of those present. As the representative of “Our folk” Maria Kislitsyna informed, the activists of youth movement thus want to remind that Russia was made famous by representatives of various nationalities and cultures. 

The action “Russia of victories!” arranged by the movement “Young Russia” and Russian union of rural youth took place on November 4 in Moscow at Triumfalnaya square. The movement leaders called upon those assembled to “unity of the whole Russia” and stood against interethnic dissension. But when the presenters proposed the action participants to name the Russian regions they know, one of them shouted loudly “Gastarbeiter region!”. About 1500 people took part in the action. The activity lasted for about half an hour. 

The meeting “Russians against fascism” took place in the morning at Chistiye pools near the monument to Griboyedov; according to various estimates, it assembled from 200 to 1000 people. Two wires with slogans “Russians are against fascism!” and “They disgrace the hero city!” were raised above the stage. Skinhead people with raised hands were portrayed upon the latter one. The meeting organizer Maxim Stepanov called from the tribune upon “kicking-out” the people propagating racist ideas.