POLL FINDS MUSCOVITES HOSTILE TOWARDS SKINHEADS, JEWS, AND MIGRANTS
UCSJ: Union of Councils for Jews in the Former Soviet Union
September 12, 2006
While 76% of Muscovites are hostile towards skinheads, a large number
of them share the neo-Nazis’ view of certain non-Russian ethnic groups,
according to an August 31, 2006 article in the national newspaper
Trud. Citing a poll of city residents’ attitudes towards non-Russians,
the paper reported that 1/3 of residents feel antipathy towards Jews
and Tatars, slightly higher numbers feel the same way about Armenians
and Georgians, and over half of residents are hostile towards Azeris
and Chechens.
The author of the article lists some possible reasons for these
attitudes, ranging from a large influx of migrants who tend to
cluster together in certain neighborhoods, negative perceptions of the
purportedly ill-gotten wealth of some migrants and, paradoxically,
the extreme poverty of others, and the fact that most migrants are
working-age men who are seen by some as competitors for the affections
of Russian women.
The paper reported that this fall, the Moscow City Duma will consider
a bill that envisions the creation of a commission to prevent ethnic
discrimination by fining violators 5-30 times the monthly minimum wage.
The fines will be doubled for any racist agitation of actions on
school grounds.