An unauthorized street demonstration in support of the inhabitants of Kondopoga, in the Russian region of Karelia, passes the mayor's office. Members of the ultranationalist group Movement Against Illegal Immigration took part in the demonstration.
Photo: Mikhail Razuvaev
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“It wasn’t a Street Demonstration, It was a Get-Together”
// Riots against Natives of the Caucasus Reach Karelia’s Capital
Caucasians Driven to Flee to Camp Set Up by Local Authorities
Riots targeting natives of the Caucasus region spread yesterday from Kondopoga, a small town in Russia’s Karelian Republic, to Petrozavodsk, the region’s capital. A street demonstration was held in the capital yesterday supporting rioters detained by police earlier this week in Kondopoga and demanding that all Caucasian natives leave the republic. Most citizens of Caucasian descent have already been sent to a camp outside Kondopoga that is under strong police protection.
The street demonstration in Karelia’s capital of Petrozavodsk was organized by local residents through posts on internet forums and by means of flyers reading “We are protesting against the criminal class of Caucasians in Kondopoga” that were distributed throughout local schools and universities. The demonstration attracted 300-400 people, some members of ultranationalist groups such as the Movement against Illegal Immigration (DPNI). DPNI denied organizing the protest, which took place on the square in front of the mayor’s office and was overseen by only two police units. A speech by DPNI leader Aleksey Mikhailov calling for preference for local sellers in the market over immigrants from the Caucasus and for the “protection of the native population” was interrupted by enthusiastic chants from masked members of the pro-Kremlin youth group Nashi, who had arrived in the republic from other regions. The demonstration broke up fairly peacefully at around 9 PM.
In the camp outside Kondopoga that currently houses some 30 families of Caucasian descent, community spokesman Magomed Matuyev denied that the families had fled the city, saying that police had asked the families to leave because they could not promise protection from the rioters. “But we will return, we will absolutely return to our homes and demand compensation from the local authorities for all the damages – for our burned and looted stores and for our apartments and cars,” he said.
On the first day of the riots, 110 rioters were detained by police. Deputy prosecutor Petr Klemeshov announced that a special detachment of 30 local prosecutors and police officers will investigate the riots, which were sparked by an incident at a restaurant in Kondopoga. According to reports, the fight was caused by two intoxicated patrons who refused to pay their bill and beat the waiter when he tried to collect the money. When the police failed to respond to two calls for assistance from the waiter, who is of Caucasian descent, a group of nine armed Caucasians came to the restaurant and joined the fight. The brawl, which eventually involved 20 people, left the two men, both ethnic Russians, dead. A crowd of rampaging Russian nationalists later burned down the restaurant.
Andrey Tsyganov
All the Article in Russian as of Sep. 06, 2006
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