MASS FIGHT IN MOSCOW: BANNER OF NAGORNO KARABAKH SERVED AS SIGNAL FOR AZERIS TO ATTACK

PanARMENIAN.Net
03.05.2007 16:34 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "On May 1 an event titled "Planet South West"
was being held in the People Friendship University (PFUR) of
Russia. The goal of the event was to strengthen friendship between
nations. Pavilions of different countries and nations were presented
during the event. However pavilions of Azerbaijan and Armenia were
near each other. According to eyewitnesses (Azeris, Armenians and
Russian) representatives of Azeri youth took aside a young Armenian
who was holding the banner of Nagorno Karabakh. Azeris attacked the
Armenian fellow, causing him physical injuries. They tried to take
away the banner but couldn’t, after which Azeris tore it up," says the
"Statement of youth organizations and resources in connection with the
mass fight that took place in Moscow May 1, 2007". The PanARMENIAN.Net
received the statement. It says "Armenians nearby hurried to help their
compatriot in the result of which a mass fight took place. Azeris
who participated in the scuffle by shouting "Allah Akbar" tried to
win over their side other Muslim students. However representatives
of other Muslim nations who gathered near the fight place did not
interfere in it. Only some of them stood up for Armenians. The fight
was stopped by police. In the result of this provocation several
students suffered injuries.

Eyewitnesses underline that during the event in PFUR there were
exhibitions with state symbolism of such unrecognized countries as
Abkhazia, South Ossetia and countries of former Yugoslavia, but no
similar incidents were registered.

In connection with the above mentioned events we, representatives of
undersigned organizations and resources state the following:

1. Organizers of the event themselves and not representatives of
this or that nationality decide what stands and symbolism must be
presented in the event. Since organizers considered it necessary
to present exhibitions of all nations and countries (irrespective of
their status), as well as presence of symbolism of different countries,
any effort to change this decision is a violation of legality, order,
as well as rough violation of human rights for freedom of opinion
and right to freely express that opinion.

If Azeri students did not agree with the decision of organizers to
allow Armenians to perform the banner of Nagorno Karabakh, they could
find a more civilized way of self-expression, say, they could refuse
from participating in the event. Otherwise actions of representatives
of Azeri youth is a provocation and criminal act.

2. This is already the third extremist provocation during the past two
years committed by some of representatives of Azeri youth. Earlier
Azeris organized similar provocations during the Tourism exhibition
in Gostinni Dvor (May 13, 2006), as well as during a concert titled
"Voice of Artsakh", which was held in the Moscow International Music
Hall (December 4, 2006). Analyzing these provocations, which already
have become a tradition for Azeri youth, a common hand – a method
of organizing provocations is being noticed: the same gathering of
Azeris, anti-Armenian acts, scuffles that are followed by accusations
towards Armenians. Common traces of carrying out similar provocations
and its rapid "informational support" by spreading lies in mass media
prove that actually a planned political provocation with a political
target is hidden behind this hooliganism.

And that’s why it is not excluded that certain interested Azeri
structures are the real organizers of the above mentioned provocations.

3. After the above mentioned events a number of mass media means
hurried to declare that the cause of the scuffle was dissatisfaction
of both sides, although eyewitnesses (both Azeris and Armenians and
representatives of other nations) saw that exactly representatives
of Azeri youth started the fight, trying to beat the Armenian boy and
outrage the Armenian symbolism. As a result some media means are trying
to depict a "politically correct" version of events and by doing that
they hide the real organizers of the incident. We are sure that such
a bias improbable coverage of events in the spirit of the notorious
"Lenin policy of people’s friendship" is unproductive. Principles of
journalism ethics demand true coverage of events without equalizing the
criminal and the victim, without concealing the truth on the principle
"both our and your people". Lies never do good.

4. We are worried not only with traditional provocations by
extremist groups of Azeri youth, but also the firm unwillingness of
law enforcement bodies not to punish them. Naturally, it is easier to
write everything off on hooligan fights. However with such a treatment
to incidents they will continue henceforth, and the number of victims
most likely will increase.

In a jural state as we think Russia is, it is very important to find
the real organizers of fights and punish them with the full severity
of the law.

5. We call on all youth organizations, irrespective of their
nationality, to actively cooperate with the law-enforcement and
investigation bodies of Moscow aiming at clearing up all details
of this incident and punishing those who are guilty. We also
call on law-enforcement bodies of Moscow to carry out an impartial
investigation of the above mentioned incident and punish the organizers
of the mass fight.

We call on the press to cover the events objectively and spread not
politically correct lies but the truth.

And finally we call on young people, irrespective of their nationality
to refrain from extremism and provocations, respect other people’s
viewpoint, which may differ from their own point of view, and via
tolerance to reach a real, and not a declared friendship and peace
between nations.