The Biryulyovo riots...continued. (I drone on about this, because I have to: it really struck a raw nerve in me.) The Nation (bless its progressive soul) does the hard work of scratching the surface of a story whose media narrative is often writ in coarse clichés - e.g. Look how racist Russians are! To be sure, a sizeable share of Russians - of all ages - harbour an abiding resentment against the multiethnic state - and, in particular, a multiethnic Moscow. The right spark can set the whole ethnic tinderbox ablaze, setting (white) Russians against darker-skinned members of society. But alongside base racism, theres a separate phenomenon at work: simmering anger against corrupt local and state officials. I am yet to speak with a single Russian friend who admits, publicly or privately, that they harbor any hostility or ill-will towards minority migrants in their midst. But Ive spoken to several people whove told me that I simply dont understand the trouble caused by these (mostly) Caucasian and Central Asian workers - and that if I still lived in Moscow today, I might better understand that its not really racism at work, but rather genuine concern about a clear and present danger posed by these ner-do-well migrants. It all sounds distressingly familiar: much like what many Western Europeans say these days about shifty Roma (aka gypsies) lurking on street corners in their neighborhoods. Heres The Nation on the recent Biryulyovo riots, and their root causes:
Posted on: Mon, 04 Nov 2013 10:44:51 +0000
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