Hitler's Birthday Sparks Racial Violence in Russia

Chosun Ilbo ^ | 04/21/06

[TigerLikesRooster]

Hitler's Birthday Sparks Racial Violence in Russia

The time surrounding the anniversary of Adolph Hitler's birth on April 20th is a horrible time for foreigners living in Russia. During this period foreigners in the country refrain from going out, and rush to get home whenever they must leave their houses. Some even stay home from work and keep their children out of school during the period. This is to avoid attacks by extreme rightists racists or skinheads of which there are an estimated 50,000 in the country.

As the skinheads have been posting threats everywhere that they will attack all foreigners ahead of the anniversary of the Nazi leader's birthday, the Korean Embassy in Russia on Thursday advised Korean expatriates to be careful not to be targeted.

As extreme nationalists, the Skinheads expressed their xenophobia taking advantage of big Russian feast days starting with Hitler’s birthday, on the Easter of the Russian Orthodox Church (April 23rd), and the anniversary of the last day of the WWII (May,9). This year they declared their plans to attack with guns and hand grenades, and referred their plans against foreigners as a “war.“ Under the title of “Skinhead War”, the email warned, “All foreigners must leave Russia. We will launch our war starting on the birthday of Hitler. We will attack diplomats and their families and kill them.”

Last year, 44 people were killed by the Skinheads and three Korean students suffered mid to severe injuries in a group attack last February in St. Petersburg. The Russian government declared its own war against the Skinheads and launched a campaign to crack down on the gang but it has been met with little effect.

(englishnews@chosun.com )

[roadrunner96]

It seems very slanderous to a group of people to write in the headline "Der Fuehrer worshipped by Slavs."

[Verginius Rufus]

I've read that Karl Marx was very disdainful of Russia...which didn't prevent Russian Marxists from admiring him. Of course there may not have been any racial element in Marx's attitude.

Today, April 22, is Lenin's birthday. (The first Earth Day was scheduled for Lenin's 100th birthday...coincidence?)

It's also the birthday of J. Robert Oppenheimer and of Immanuel Kant. At least Kant wasn't an admirer of Lenin.

[attiladhun2]

According to Palmer, it is also Muhammed's birthday.
The exact date of Muhammed's birth is not known. Palmer gives a possible date of April 20, 571 A.D. (p. 207). All that is certain is that he was born during what Muslims call The Year of the Elephant. In that year the Ethiopians invaded the Hejaz from Yemen. They had with them a small number of elephants. Before the invasion force could reach Mecca, an outbreak of smallpox caused it to retreat. The sura called The Elephant refers to this, greatly embellishing the incident with supernatural elements.
See this link.

[roadrunner96]

Google news though, has one story after another though on this very negative phenomenon.

This racism is curious, given communism's challenges and differences to nazism.

"Four Chinese students were beaten in what investigators said was a racially motivated attack in the Russian city of Kostroma" - http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-04/22/content_574280.htm

"FOUR GYPSIES KILLED IN TWO ATTACKS HUNDREDS OF MILES APART. In northwestern Russia, an unemployed man broke into the home of a Roma (better known as Gypsy) family in the Pskov Region village of Kuznetsovka and shot dead two brothers, one 27 years old, the other 26. According to an unidentified police official who did not specify the date of the event, the suspect, who had been drinking, was arrested shortly after the attack, Interfax reported. - http://www.fsumonitor.com/stories/042106BM.shtml

Skinheads beat up two Tajik men on a suburban Moscow train and then threw them off at the next stop, according to an April 8, 2006 report by the newspaper “Stolichnye Novosti” citing a report in the national daily “Moskovsky Komsomolets.” The March 31 incident took place near the Bolshevo station. The two victims were found later by a passerby and received medical attention, but not before one of them died. - http://www.fsumonitor.com/stories/041806Russ2.shtml

[twippo]

Wonder if he'd agree that the Inuits/Eskimos have rights to Mexico because they happen to be racially Amerindian.

[Revolting cat!]

Take comfort in this thought which I stole from OpinionJournal.com:

"Freedom of speech makes it much easier to spot the idiots."

[RusIvan]

"Freedom of speech makes it much easier to spot the idiots."==

I agree I see so many of them here. Try to educate them but futile. Idiots do not know that they are.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #19

I just count the number of incidents reported in international wire. In terms of skinhead incidents, Russia has far more entries than Germany does.

As for fascism angle, I said 'becoming a classic fascist state.' It is not there yet. However, many elements are in place. Former commie Putin is now using his skill to reSovietize Russia and dress it with Slavic nationalism.

Having democratic facade counts much unless Russian government drastically change courses. It does not get along well with EU, because it does not like grass-root democratic forces EU tends to encourage.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #19

Over a last few years, Russian skinhead attack incident has popped up again and again just about the time it was fading away from my memory. It is a recurring pattern. However, I have run across few articles reporting on German skinheads attacking S. Koreans in the same period.

[RusIvan]

Former commie Putin is now using his skill to reSovietize Russia and dress it with Slavic nationalism.==

Nationalism - yes, sovetization - no more this shit.

Nationalism is positive event. It just stands for cherishing your own nation between others. It is nothing to do with nazism (the theory of national superiority).
Nathionalists just want to be the hosts in thier own countries. Same time they are the enemies of liberal theory of "multuculturism". They stay against illegal immigration.

So if we look closely that we may see that the most people of FR are nationalists too:).

[roadrunner96]

http://www.sportsline.com/soccer/story/9390807 Another story; and I'll just say it's wrong, without pointing at one country or another (not Russia though).

The Nationalism angle is interesting, because, I guess, Communism, in theory, wanted to treat everyone equally; that's why they were in Angola, Cuba, Middle East, SE Asia, courting India, the whole shabang.

In the past, people from all over probably went to Russia to study, during communism; now though, it seems people need to be advised in that it has swung the other way, somewhat.

I have some Polish in me; stories for the world cup coming up in June are saying, maybe some Polish hooligans will be there. Stories seem to say, they will be looking to fight other hooligans.

But it is to watch out for, hooligans of any nationality that might target foreigners. By the way, Italian hooligans did in fact, threaten Moslems at the World Cup (and told that to the famous Italian newspaper Republicca).

That would be bad, but I really hope nothing happens against any Far Eastern Asians or Africans, or Europeans and Americans, Latin Americans etc. too for that matter

Africans have sent out a warning to tourists from Africa to be alert and cautious at the World Cup in Germany.

Hooligan stories come out every day; sort of similar to the Skins stories.

---

Just one sidenote on soccer:


Kind of could be a messed up World Cup; I like the Korea team, just learned yesterday, Saudi Arabia defeated them twice in the qualifying rounds, so it'll be something to watch for; they are in a group with France, Togo and Switzerland, that is group g.