Review of Moscow bureau for human rights 

Together with the traditional “Russian march” on November 4, Russian radical nationalists are also trying to privatize the day of May 1 for their actions. 

On May-Day of 2007 and 2008 the demonstrations called “Russian march of labor” and arranged by DPNI and “Slavic union” (SS) were held along the route from entrance to All-Russian exhibition center to TV center “Ostankino”. In 2007 the “March of labor” was participated by 500-700 people and in 2008 – by 200-400 ones (the nationalists themselves told about 3000 participants in first case and about 1000 – in second case). The main slogans of the “march” in 2007 were: “Peace! Labor! May-Day! Gastarbeiter go away!”, “Russians don’t need the multi-colored country anymore!”, “Make salary higher, away with immigration!”. In 2008 the following slogans were heard: “Glory to Russia”, “Glory to Russian people! No to Chechen monster!”, “Labor, nation, order!”, “Russian authority to Russia!”, “Forward, Russians!”, “Russia is for the Russians, Moscow is for the Muscovites!”, “Peace! Labor! May-Day! Gastarbeiter go away!”, “Death to the aliens!”. In 2007 the leader of DPNI A. Belov (Potkin) called upon the nationalists in his speech at the meeting to arming themselves: “Every man should have weapon to protect himself and his folks from occupants”, he concluded. In 2008 the DPNI leader demanded to “restrict the immigration for protection of rights of working people of Russia” stating demagogically that “many million Russians are unemployed as illegal immigrants occupied their workplaces” and called to chanting: “No to immigration, yes to deportation!”. A. Belov (Potkin) also explained that the demonstrators had to learn the route: “Today we hold the run-through of a march to this building. Soon “Ostankino” will tell what the Russian people want! And we would enter the Kremlin in similar organized columns!”. 

Except Moscow, the demonstrations of nationalists on May 1, 2007 took place in St. Petersburg (300 participants), Tver (50 persons), Ulyanovsk, Nizhniy Novgorod. In Blagoveshchensk a group of nationalists tried to go with a flag with swastika. The action was suppressed by militia. In 2008 in St. Petersburg the similar meeting headed by “supreme priest of all the Slavs Bogumil the Second” (Vladimir Golyakov) convoked 50 people. Except Moscow and St. Petersburg, the action devoted to May 1 took place just in Vladivostok on April 30. The picketers held the banners: “Peace! Labor! May! Gastarbeiter go away!” and “Make the salary higher! Away with immigration” and shouted the voice slogans: “Make the salary higher! Away with immigration! Glory to labor! No to occupation! Labor! Nation! Order! Glory to Russia! Glory to labor! Migrants today, occupants tomorrow! Ziga-Oy! Zaga-Oy! Immigrant, it’s time to go home!”. 

In 2009 the arrangement of May-Day demonstration took place under conditions of competition between DPNI and organization “Russian image”.

After some inconstancies and an unsuccessful attempt to negotiate with KPRF, DPNI just held a meeting near underground station “Ulitsa 1905 goda”. The slogans also included the following one: “Russian order to Russia”. “Russian image” held a demonstration along the route All-Russian exhibition center – TV center “Ostankino”. Radical nationalist slogans were heard there: “Nation is more important than profit!”, “Glory to Russian labor, liberal, burn in hell!”, “Youth! Rus! Revolution!”. The number of participants of each of these actions can be estimated as 300-400 people. 

The “march” also took place in St. Petersburg (it was participated, according to various estimates, by 150-300 people; it was prohibited to the Slavic union to spread out their symbols under a threat of detention by Special militia detachment), Nizhniy Novgorod (several dozen participants, 20 of them were detained after the action), Kirov (about 300 people), Krasnoyarsk (several dozen participants). In Tver the regional DPNI branch took part in holiday procession together with trade unions and KPRF. In Volgograd the authorities prohibited DPNI members to participate in demonstration. This all finished with several spontaneous meetings and detentions. 

Late in April 2010 the nationalists started the active preparation to holding of the next “Russian march of labor”. In Moscow “Russian May-Day” had to walk along Korolyov street to TV center Ostankino and finish with a meeting. The appeal issued by organizers of the “march” on April 25 repeated standard accusations of dumping and “labor occupation” addressed to migrants. 

Except Moscow, it was planned to arrange the “Marches of labor” in St. Petersburg, Nizhniy Novgorod, Kirov, Perm, Syktyvkar, Tambov, Ulyanovsk, and Chelyabinsk. In Barnaul and Kursk DPNI members had to walk in KPRF column. In Vologda and Orel special community work days were arranged. 

According to the data for May 2 evening, the following actions took place. In Moscow the action was participated by representatives of DPNI, ROD, NPF “Memory”, “Slavic force” (probably this is a new formation instead of prohibited “Slavic union”). The march was also participated by followers of colonel V. Kvachkov and by so-called national-autonoms that walked with a slogan “Will of blood is an appeal to action”. Procession of nationalists was accompanied by music and voice slogans: “Peace-labor-May, gastarbeiter go away!” and “Glory to Russia!”. The procession participants carried the banners: “Labor, nation, freedom!”, “Glory to Russia!”, “Fewer migrants – higher salary!”, “No to political repressions!”, “Russia is the Russian land”, “Russian order on Russian land”. Enormous banner of imperial flag was spread out in front of the first column. The procession was held under imperial flags and flags of participating organizations. 

The following spoke at the meeting: G. Borovikov, V. Kralin, K. Krylov, leader of movement “Parabellum” Yu. Yekishev, and the head of “people’s volunteer corps” colonel V. Kvachkov. 

The demands stated in draft resolution of the meeting included: “to stop uncontrolled pouring of money into economy of Caucasian republics, introduce the state of emergency in North-Caucasian region and take efficient measures for eradication of terrorist underground”, to cancel clauses 280 and 282 of the CC, introduce visa regime with the countries of Transcaucasia and Middle Asia and also to stop what was called “simplified distribution of Russian citizenship”. 

The nationalists themselves told about 1000 people that assembled. The observers from MBHR tell about 400-500 participants. 

The meeting participants committed one attack on anti-fascists at least later, and 4 wounded were its result. 

In Moscow at Triumfalnaya square a meeting of Eurasian Union of Youth took place. The Eurasians protested against participation of servicemen from NATO countries in the Parade at the Red square. The statement made on website of the Union a day before the meeting named the parade of NATO at the Red square a “march of military criminals, killers and executioners”. The leader of Eurasians Pavel Kanishchev noted that the organization supported the foreign-policy course of Putin and Medvedev. “But we stand against the Yurgenses, Gontmakhers, INSORs and other rubbish. We should put an end to this at once, they deceived also the President”. 

In St. Petersburg the procession was participated by members of DPNI, “Army of people’s will” and “Russian imperial movement”. 200 persons at the most were observed in the procession; they shouted: “Nation! Labor! Solidarity!”, “Fewer migrants – higher salary!”, “Let’s preserve Russia Russian!”, “Serbia yesterday, Russia today!”, “Freedom to political prisoners!”, “St. Petersburg is the Russian city!”, “End to occupation! Freedom to Russian nation!”, “This is our city! Our country! Russian order or war!”, “Power – to Russian nationalists!”, “Migrants today, occupants tomorrow!”, “Immigrants are the excess mouth! People would get without them!”. 

In Kirov DPNI members most part of which hid their faces chanted: “Russia for the Russians” and “Peace, labor, May! Gastarbeiter go away!”. 

In Ulyanovsk about 10 DPNI members took part in the procession shouting slogans: “Russian order to Russia!”, “282 is a disgrace of Russia!”, “Peace, labor, May – gastarbeiter go away!”, “Put Kadyrov to prison!”, “Freedom to political prisoners!”, “Immigrant today, occupant tomorrow!”. 

In Syktyvkar about 20 nationalists took part in the meeting. 

In some cities the processions were hampered. In Kursk before the start of demonstration the Coordinator of Regional DPNI branch, head of regional DPNI public relations center and some followers of the movement were detained with attributes and visual agitation under the pretext of proving their identity. 

In Slavyansk-on-Kuban (Krasnodar region) detention of DPNI members took place: they came to authorized May-Day demonstration under white-golden-black flag with slogans: “282 is a disgrace of Russia” and “Russian, help the Russian”. 

In Nizhniy Novgorod 20 DPNI members were detained after the meeting of nationalists participated by 80 people at the most. 

In Perm 25 DPNI members were detained during formation of columns. 

Thus, Russian national-radicals actively made themselves known again on May 1 both in Moscow and in RF subjects showing high level of mobilization and aggressive character of statements. And the law-enforcement bodies did not respond to the propaganda of xenophobia and migrant-phobia in most cases. Mass media informed actively about the actions of radicals listing the xenophobic slogans but abstaining from estimates. Anti-fascist public, leaders of ethnic communities and migrants’ associations did not express their protests in public basing upon the results of actions of the radicals. Moscow bureau for human rights, Moscow anti-fascist center, Fund “Holocaust”, Federation of migrants of Russia sent a letter to the General public prosecutor of Russia Yuri Chaika in which they request him to give a legal estimate of May-Day actions of radicals.