Russia | 11/30/2021

Russia 2021 November

Key Developments

 

In general, far-right and nazi activity in Russia during November 2021 was small although it is considered to be main far right month in Russia

Antimigrant state propaganda

During 2021 it became clear that Russian media emerged a new type of journalist genre: migrant’s outrages and migrant’s attack on locals. However, the upsurge of nationalist activity was far less noticeable than the anti-migrant propaganda in some federal media. “Novaya gazeta” and “Istories” analyzed it and found out that since summer 2021 state media dramatically increased quantity of a news about migrant’s criminal activity: TV-channels tried to “spin” stories about “inter-ethnic conflicts” in Novye Vatutinki and in Domodedovo, where common criminal attacks occurred.

Unity Day on 4 of November

Since its declaration in 2005 Unity Day on 4 of November became main far right holiday in Russia. Despite it, the traditional Russian March was canceled due coronavirus restrictions and police state actions. Nevertheless nationalists decided to organize a Russian March in Moscow metro stations. Nationalists unsuccessfully tried to stage a mass rally near “Oktyabrskoye Pole” metro station and in Lyublino. Several people came to a service at a church near Dobryninskaya metro station. Another group held a small conference. In addition, a xenophobic rally was held at the “Lesoparkovaya” metro station. In Moscow police detained more than 25 nationalists. Apart from Moscow, there were events in ten cities on that day, but in most cases the nationalists limited themselves to stickers. The most numerous were the “people’s walks” in Novosibirsk, where 14 people gathered.

The new ultra-right movement, the All-Russian National Movement (OND), also tried to promote a conflict in the town of Pavlovo, Nizhny Novgorod region, on Ilyicha Alley near the Jasmin café, where a man died as a result of a domestic dispute after drinking alcohol.

Police and nazi against feminists

On November 21, a far-right misogynist channel published information about the disruption of a meeting of the leftist feminist group SocFem Alternative by the antiextremism police unit. The post was accompanied by a photo of the event and a promise to leak the participants’ data.

According to the activists of SocFem Alternative, the photo published in the far-right channel was made by Center “E” staff during the raid and is evidence of cooperation between the police and the admins of the resource.

Police antihate action week

On November 26 the federal operation preventive action “We do not go the way with hatred and xenophobia” came to the end. Like last year, the order came down from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the places, and police officers with executive bodies prevented youth extremism for 10 days. Police published silly antiextremism videos which often tried to persuade young people not to take part in opposition rallies not only right wing.

Head of right wing propaganda lost case to black antifashist blogger

Moscow court ordered that right wing propagandist Egor Prosvirnin have to pay 100 thousand ruble settlement in favor of black blogger Masha Young in a case to protect her honor and dignity. Early Egor called her “LGBT mulatto wooden dick peddler with gay marriage-approving Muslim father backed by radical feminists against a Russian nationalist who was outraged at the insult to the Russian people”.

Legal cases

According to the SOVA center At least 19 people were convicted under criminal articles on public statements in November, almost all of them for publications in social networks.

Twelve people were convicted under Article 280 of the Criminal Code (public calls for extremist activities) for calling to attack Jews or non-Slavs in general, top managers of Russian businesses, law enforcement officers, top state officials, and “former and current presidents of Russia.

The Federal list of extremist materials was updated twice in November (on November 8 and 23), items 5217-5230 were added to it. The song glorifying criminal “AUE” subculture, Soviet propaganda anti-Semitic film, video recording of radical Ukrainian nationalists, songs of popular neo-Nazi groups, such as “Krada”, “Counterrevolution”, RGD 88, Holdaar, as well as songs about Belgian commander of SS division and Cossack collaboration with Nazi Germany during the Second World War and some songs about volunteer units of Wehrmacht were added to the list.

At least seven people were punished under Article 20.3 of the Administrative Code (propaganda and public demonstration of Nazi symbols and symbols of banned organizations). Two of them – prisoners of the colony – demonstrated their own tattoos with Nazi symbols, while the rest posted Nazi symbols and symbols of banned organizations on social networks.

At least eight people were fined under Article 20.3.1 of the Administrative Code (incitement to hatred); the corresponding one under Article 282 part 1 of the Criminal Code. All of them were punished for making statements online (in social networks and WhatsApp) – for insults and calls to attack natives of Central Asia, the Caucasus, Jews and other ethnic outsiders, as well as government officials.