Xenophobia in Ukraine after the Maidan: what has changed?

End of entomology

For many years of his life in Ukraine, I was engaged in quite specific, narrow and quite frankly, very few people interested in the issues of xenophobia and crimes motivated by racial, national and religious hatred. I spent a boring work on the rigorous fixing the facts of racist crimes. Of course, I believed and continue to believe these questions are important, but in terms of the priorities of society and the state have always been marginal. In general, objectively I do understand that the problem of racism and hate crimes does not apply to the most urgent in our country. It just so happens that I was doing just that. Frankly, each time spreading for media monitoring results for the next reporting period, I was well aware,

I also closely monitor the activity of Ukrainian ultra-nationalists. I have never been inclined to unjustified generalizations, and never claimed to be a state language in Ukraine, or the monument to Stepan Bandera in Lviv, in spite of my aversion to this character – it’s fascism. But it is absurd to deny that in our country, and there are fans throw up the right hand in a Nazi salute. I quite adequately, I think, was aware of the scale of the problem. As a joke, I compared with the specialization in entomology, based on the microscopic study of the object (and “ethnology” seems). I consider a microscope the circle lovers arthropods lepidoptera swastikas …

, So it will be always thought. My European colleagues, who study the right-wing radicalism, noticeably revived after the success of “Freedom”, but I have this topic not too captured. The level of hate violence, in spite of the radical nationalist faction in parliament, continued to remain low and more – decreased. Actually the political debate has been of little interest. Agenda determined not to sign far-right issues, and the problem of opposition to the corrupt and authoritarian regime.

In the last six months the situation has changed radically. Topics of previous interest only to narrow specialists suddenly surfaced as is, without exaggeration, defining the agenda. Discussion of the (usually very amateurish) issues of fascism and neo-Nazism and right-wing extremism and ultra-nationalism, xenophobia and the violation of the rights of national minorities filled the information space. These topics are being discussed by politicians and those who are called “experts” in a popular talk show, they scrutinize international organizations, their use diplomatic institutions in their notes and their political strategists exploited for propaganda campaigns. Congress of National Communities of Ukraine, in the framework of which for many years I have carried out its work on fixing xenophobic crimes,

Any researcher always happy when a narrow subject, which it is engaged, it becomes the focus of the general public. Unfortunately, I have absolutely no delight in this particular situation by the fact that what I was doing, it was claimed by the company.

I think it’s pretty obvious why. But for some reason, which I believe will also become apparent in the course of the presentation, first, I still say a few words about how the situation was dealt with the problem of xenophobia in Ukraine prior to the start of the political crisis.

RaHoWa on Ukrainian streets

This English-language abbreviation dissonant pathos phrase “racial holy war” in the youth subculture of neo-Nazi circles, called the violence against all who do not like, first of all, of course, external phenotype. “Battles” on this “war” does not look very heroic. Average “jump” as yourself “cleaners street” called his exploits – a sudden a group attack on a lone passerby, often – from the back and with the use of bladed weapons.

Classic, living on the territory of our country for centuries “traditional” national minorities, as a rule, do not cause aggressive adolescent tantrums. Any notable exceptions to this general rule are except that the Roma, who are traditionally stigmatized by both the society and the law enforcement agencies, and the Crimean Tatars, the hatred which for decades was cultivated among a significant segment of the peninsula residents.

Such incidents are quite difficult to investigate (no prior history of relations between the victims and perpetrators) and record. However, since 2006, when the Congress of National Communities of Ukraine, in response to increasingly frequent reports of such crimes, launched a system monitoring program, we have accumulated much information about the situation than anyone else, including law enforcement.

Because today we live in a very different social and political context, and speaking about the results of our monitoring, we argue, citing Bender (which Ostap Ibrahimovic), about the period “before historical materialism”, I will limit myself to a brief quantitative data. All the arguments about the causes and other lyrics I bear the brackets as has long been irrelevant, but cause dry statistics it is important to me – I think shrewd reader already understands why.

So, in 2006, when we recorded the beginning of the growth that followed, “wave”, our monitoring as a result of street racist attacks were reported 14 victims, two victims of the incidents have been fatal. Further growth continued – in 2007, we have 88 injured, six people have been documented were killed and eighty-four people were injured in 2008, killing six. Real “ridge” wave of hate crimes is at the beginning of 2008: the first three months was fixed for half of all crimes in the course of the year, and all cases with fatal outcome. Since April 2008, we fix a long decline in the number of racist violence – and I like to think that a certain contribution to the improvement of the situation and we have. Our efforts to attract the attention of society and the state to the problem were fruitless – at that time, Congress and other friendly non-governmental organizations cooperated quite closely on this issue with government agencies and, most importantly, with law enforcement agencies. This cooperation was not ideal, and I still had plenty of complaints and the police, and to the SBU, but it is important that the state began to make a conscious effort to improve the situation in the field of prevention and in the area of ​​investigation and punishment.

In 2009, we recorded 37 victims and, thank God, no one killed. In 2010, according to our data, it was a historic low – 18 incidents, but by the end of the year the situation and dynamics of its development began to change. By the end of the year the number of crimes began to rise, one case with a fatal outcome has been fixed. In 2011, as a result of the attacks suffered 54 people. Among the reasons for the deterioration of the situation, in my opinion, it is quite obviously possible to allocate part of the state. After coming to power the former president special departments to combat xenophobia in the Interior Ministry and SBU structures were dismantled. Cooperation with non-governmental organizations were decisively minimized. More precisely, the state began to create their own “pocket” structures of civil society, imitating support – such as, eg, as a fake “Public Council” at the Interior Ministry. It could not have any negative impact on the dynamics of racist crimes.

However, there were other factors. In 2010 – 2012 years of law enforcement agencies launched a massive campaign of repression against the nationalist-radical organizations in which they saw a challenge. The first was destroyed “Trident” for him – movement “Patriot of Ukraine” and initiated them Social-National Assembly, then followed by all even more marginal and small groups. Let me give myself a little emotional assessment of these processes. Characters who have been subjected to repression, were I not palatable if conservative and homophobic “Trident” is more or less served as part of a valid political spectrum, why legally there was a neo-Nazi and racist movement “Patriot of Ukraine”, whose leadership was involved in many crimes, I was unclear. However, due to some reasons, which I can guess, but I do not know for sure, the government started to put the “patriots” not for the fact that they are, in my opinion, should be “present”, and on false charges (at least in large part). This is the “Vasylkivska terrorists” and a number of other high-profile cases that society perceives as “political”. As a result, these characters only became widely known, and the image of the brave fighters against the regime hated by the people. However, the street activity of ultra-nationalist government police practices at the time suppressed. that society perceives as “political”. As a result, these characters only became widely known, and the image of the brave fighters against the regime hated by the people. However, the street activity of ultra-nationalist government police practices at the time suppressed. that society perceives as “political”. As a result, these characters only became widely known, and the image of the brave fighters against the regime hated by the people. However, the street activity of ultra-nationalist government police practices at the time suppressed.

Further, while exemplary demonstration of the previous government of the championship “Euro-2012” were overwhelmed by groups of football fans, which, moreover, could not forgive loved by the masses slogans, “Thank you residents of Donbass”. All this provided a further slight decline in the level of violence motivated by racial hatred, but its temporary nature was evident. In 2012, as a result of racist attacks injured 19 people, in 2013 – 20. And here we already turn to the urgent problems of the moment in which I am forced to dwell.

“Anti-fascism” in the service of the aggressor

With the information context is rapidly changed the start of the mass protest movement. First – as part of the propaganda campaign of the former government, forming the image of the opposition radical nationalist and xenophobic, then the efforts of the Russian propaganda machine, picked up and who brought a new level of this work, the theme of xenophobia has been actively exaggerate. Today, the Russian media and diplomats frightening world rampant nationalist extremism and xenophobia in Ukraine and, in particular, to justify this thesis brutal interference in the internal affairs of the country. Systematic and deliberate use of false, untested and frequently – frankly misleading information about these events in Ukraine is a part of a massive awareness campaigns accompanying the armed aggression against Ukraine. Psevdomonitoringi minority rights violations play an important role in the justification of the occupation of part of its territory. Such disinformation campaigns aimed at discrediting the young Ukrainian democracy and the idea of ​​Ukrainian state sovereignty and territorial integrity, carried out at the system level, with the support of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a number of well-funded, including – directly from the Russian budget, political technology centers. Information to discredit the Ukrainian democracy, widely distributed aggressor and its agents of influence in the world. aimed at discrediting the young Ukrainian democracy and the idea of ​​Ukrainian state sovereignty and territorial integrity, carried out at the system level, with the support of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a number of well-funded, including – directly from the Russian budget, political technology centers. Information to discredit the Ukrainian democracy, widely distributed aggressor and its agents of influence in the world. aimed at discrediting the young Ukrainian democracy and the idea of ​​Ukrainian state sovereignty and territorial integrity, carried out at the system level, with the support of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a number of well-funded, including – directly from the Russian budget, political technology centers. Information to discredit the Ukrainian democracy, widely distributed aggressor and its agents of influence in the world.

It is a natural part of many Ukrainian public figures and journalists have responded to this campaign, which consists in complete denial of the existence of the problem of xenophobia and neo-Nazi activity in our country. I do not support such a strategy. You can not reply to lie half-truths. Xenophobia exists in all countries, and Ukraine – is no exception. Neo-Nazi group operating throughout Europe that we are worse than others, perhaps, can not afford their neo-Nazis?

The best resistance of defamation and falsehood with regard to Ukraine is not a denial of the existence of the problem, and the professional collection, expert analysis, and rapid dissemination of accurate information as possible, including – to foreign audiences, journalists and experts. In fact, this moderately small way we are trying to do.

However, since the beginning of the dignity of the Revolution, and then – the Russian aggression, the work of collecting information about the manifestations of xenophobia sharply complicated.

Firstly, in many cases, we suspect, but can not say for sure that it was a provocation, not the natural manifestations of xenophobia. Thus, in the aggregate indirect evidence, I suspect that the attacks on religious Jews at the beginning of the year were the work in Kiev soon hired provocateurs or even intelligence agencies directly, rather than genuine neo-anti-Semitism. Approximately the same can say with the desecration of a synagogue in Simferopol, the next day after the start of the Russian occupation, a number of arson of synagogues, and other incidents. However, unfortunately, now it is impossible to prove it, so I just have to summarize the data on such incidents, together with all the others.

Secondly, and this is a serious obstacle to account for incidents we chose a fairly strict methodology based on a thorough verification of information, and it just is not suited to the situation of hostilities and complete chaos. Even many incidents Maidan times we have only fragmentary information. In recent months, we have very little reliable information from the Russian-occupied Crimea, and even less – of terrorists controlled parts of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions. Meanwhile, due to the ideological orientation of the many fighting on the territory of Ukraine Russian aggressors and their local collaborators, and also because of fierce fighting, hate-motivated incidents in the occupied territories are constantly taking place. So, I am inclined to regard the two murders committed by the occupiers and their collaborators in the Crimea, as occurring on the grounds of national hatred – in one case we are talking about the stolen “Cossacks” Crimean Tatar, the other – on the beaten to death by the local police a young man talking on the Ukrainian language. But check out these (and many like them, but not ended so tragically) incidents and verify the motive of national hatred today is not possible. Occupation police work to falsify information on these crimes. According to her, in both cases we are talking about the death in a car accident – despite the existing video abduction and circumstances of finding the body, in one case, and eyewitness accounts – in another. speak Ukrainian. But check out these (and many like them, but not ended so tragically) incidents and verify the motive of national hatred today is not possible. Occupation police work to falsify information on these crimes. According to her, in both cases we are talking about the death in a car accident – despite the existing video abduction and circumstances of finding the body, in one case, and eyewitness accounts – in another. speak Ukrainian. But check out these (and many like them, but not ended so tragically) incidents and verify the motive of national hatred today is not possible. Occupation police work to falsify information on these crimes. According to her, in both cases we are talking about the death in a car accident – despite the existing video abduction and circumstances of finding the body, in one case, and eyewitness accounts – in another.

In any case, the results of our monitoring show: invasion “anti-fascists”, saving, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the Russian-speaking population and the ethnic minorities from the “Bandera junta” led to a sharp rise in xenophobia in our country.

At the moment, we have a minimally sufficient reliable information on 25 cases of hate violence in Ukraine since the beginning of the year, 13 – in the Donbass and the Crimea. Reports many incidents still under review.

A lot or a little? This, of course, more than last year. However, in the context of the situation in the country as a whole, and taking into account the peculiarities of the current situation mentioned above, this is not surprising – strange if it was different. Violence in general has increased in society – after all, the country has been subjected to aggression, six months is a war. But, for example, compared with the same Russia, as the troubled “rampant neo-fascism” and the fate of minorities in the country, which came to power rabid nationalists Bandera – a lot or a little?

The answer, actually, is obvious, but it’s nice to have accurate information proving a priori speculation. In Russia, such crimes are committed ten times more. To be precise, according to the Information and Research Center “Sova”, leading statistics correlate with the criteria we have in the past, in 2013, in Russia from the racist attacks affected 199 people, 21 were killed. According to the information of the Moscow Bureau for Human Rights, exercising its monitoring with less stringent criteria, we are talking about 205 victims and 25 victims. Let me remind you that in Ukraine, according to our data, as a result of racist attacks injured 20 people last year.

Of course, Russia has more population – about three times. Moreover, I am aware that such a linear proportion does not transmit complex ethno-social factors that lead to high levels of hate crimes, such as the ethnic composition of the society and the dynamics of migration processes. But, on the other hand, how many times 20 – 25 dead more than zero? In Ukraine, if you do not take into account the factor of occupation, the last fatal racist attack was over four years ago.

But do not take it into account is impossible. The aggression took place, and now this is a significant factor for the development of our society, and for a long time will inevitably affect our problem.

Information confrontation – the most important part of the “hybrid” war waged by Russia against us. As much as pathetic as it sounds, an effective weapon in this confrontation is only one – the truth.

Specifically for the newspaper “Forum of nations”

Sourse, 28/08/2014