On the 17th of November 2009 Ivan Khutorskoy, aka Vanya-Kostolom, a 26-year-old radical antifascist, was shot at the threshold of his flat in Moscow. Ivan's contacts and home address had many times been posted on right-wing extremists web-sites and he had also been attacked by the Neo-Nazis four times prior the murder. Ivan was actively involved in organizing security of antifascist music concerts.
The next day dozens of antifascists with fire sticks and empty bottles counterattacked the office of pro-Kremlin organization 'Young Russia', the leader of which - the member of State Duma Maxim Mishchenko - openly collaborates with the right-wing extremist group 'Russian image' ('Russkiy Obraz'). This action was also devoted to the murder of S. Markelov and A. Baburova who had been shot dead in January 2009. One of the suspects, who is now being detained, happens to be the former 'Russian Image' activist.
The attackers are still to be identified. On the one hand, experts from analytical center SOVA state that Ivan Khutorskoy's murder is highly likely to be political, whereas the left-wing activists, anarchists and radical antifascists bluntly call Neo-nazis to be the perpetrators. On the other hand, leaders of ultra nationalistic groups like the Slavic Union ('Slavyanskiy Soyuz') or Movement against Illegal Migration ('Dvizhenie protiv Nelegal'noy Migrazii') claim to have not been involved in the murder, but shift responsibility to the special services, that allegedly instigate a war between antifascists and right-wing radicals.
Nevertheless, this is already widely-spread in the media that this is the 7th murder of antifascists in Moscow. The other victims of Neo-Nazis were: A. Ryukhin (musician), S. Markelov (lawyer), A. Baburova (journalist), A. Krylov (antifascist), F. Filatov (antifascist skinhead), I. Dzhaparidze (antifascist football supporter).
The general context depicts that the absence of systematic actions against xenophobia in Russia, leads to mistrust to the state on behalf of the youth, who step into violent actions against Neo-Nazis. If previously these were fights, now these are gun killings. At the moment both radical movements - antifascists and right-wing extremists are marginalized due to the high rate of violence involved, that cannot by accepted by the majority of the population. And without clear antifascist stance of other sectors of society (authorities first of all, but also academicians, artists, musicians, etc), this wheel goes round and round.
For more info please contact: Youth Human Rights Movement
ynri@yhrm.org
The next day dozens of antifascists with fire sticks and empty bottles counterattacked the office of pro-Kremlin organization 'Young Russia', the leader of which - the member of State Duma Maxim Mishchenko - openly collaborates with the right-wing extremist group 'Russian image' ('Russkiy Obraz'). This action was also devoted to the murder of S. Markelov and A. Baburova who had been shot dead in January 2009. One of the suspects, who is now being detained, happens to be the former 'Russian Image' activist.
The attackers are still to be identified. On the one hand, experts from analytical center SOVA state that Ivan Khutorskoy's murder is highly likely to be political, whereas the left-wing activists, anarchists and radical antifascists bluntly call Neo-nazis to be the perpetrators. On the other hand, leaders of ultra nationalistic groups like the Slavic Union ('Slavyanskiy Soyuz') or Movement against Illegal Migration ('Dvizhenie protiv Nelegal'noy Migrazii') claim to have not been involved in the murder, but shift responsibility to the special services, that allegedly instigate a war between antifascists and right-wing radicals.
Nevertheless, this is already widely-spread in the media that this is the 7th murder of antifascists in Moscow. The other victims of Neo-Nazis were: A. Ryukhin (musician), S. Markelov (lawyer), A. Baburova (journalist), A. Krylov (antifascist), F. Filatov (antifascist skinhead), I. Dzhaparidze (antifascist football supporter).
The general context depicts that the absence of systematic actions against xenophobia in Russia, leads to mistrust to the state on behalf of the youth, who step into violent actions against Neo-Nazis. If previously these were fights, now these are gun killings. At the moment both radical movements - antifascists and right-wing extremists are marginalized due to the high rate of violence involved, that cannot by accepted by the majority of the population. And without clear antifascist stance of other sectors of society (authorities first of all, but also academicians, artists, musicians, etc), this wheel goes round and round.
For more info please contact: Youth Human Rights Movement
ynri@yhrm.org
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UNITED for Intercultural Action
European network against nationalism, racism, fascism
and in support of migrants and refugees
Postbus 413, NL-1000 AK Amsterdam, Netherlands
phone +31-20-6834778, fax +31-20-6834582,
info@unitedagainstracism.org, www.unitedagainstracism.org
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