R acism in

ussia

RACIST DISPLAYS BY RUSSIAN FOOTBALL Reggie Yates,Extreme Russia : Far Right and Proud
FANS DOUBLE BEFORE WORLD CUP - FARE Nationalist March on November 4-th
The number of racist displays by Russian football fans has Nazi and Far-right salutes
doubled with most cases going unpunished as the country Raised swastika flags
prepares to host the 2018 World Cup. Racist behaviour of the participants
Researchers from the Moscow-based SOVA Center and the Russia for Russians banners
UEFA-affiliated Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) Extreme nationalist chants(BBC 2015)
logged 92 incidents of discriminatory displays and chants by
Russian fans in and around stadiums during the 2014-15 Dmitry Dyomushkin – leader of the
season, against a total of 83 for the previous two seasons put nationalists (Slavic Union in 1999,
together. banned 2010,Slavic Power and The
Black people were increasingly targeted by Russian fans last
Russians)
season. The report identified 10 cases of abuse of black people
or players, compared to five in the previous two seasons. In Promoting extreme nationalist ideas
July, Zenit St Petersburg striker Hulk said he faced racist abuse Looking for Mainstream politics –
in “almost every game” in Russia. Party of Nationalists
However, just one incident of racist or far-right football violence Promote the rights of ethnic Russians in the Russian Federation and also
was reported against 21 in the two previous seasons. support the union with Belarusians and Ukrainians
Researchers linked the sharp fall to better police monitoring of Most of his followers are being recognised as far-right football fans(RT 2014)
hooligan groups, and an exodus of far-right fans volunteering to
fight in the Ukraine conflict. (Kick it Out 2015)
Andre Bikey : “There's a different
• In March 2011, the Russian champions
Zenit St Petersburg were fined after a fan mentality living in Russia and it's very
offered a banana to the Brazilian at a pre- hard to live there being black. I have
a gun for protection. You can
match ceremony (Telegraph 2011).
• In June 2011 R.Carlos threw a banana
back at the stands and to walk off the get hurt out there.”(BBC 2007)
pitch in the city of Samara during a game
with local club Krirya Sovetov (The
Guardian 2011).

Peter Odemwingie and Lokomotiv Moscow’s Fans Dacosta Goore in 2013, Christopher
Samba in 2014 and Emmanuel Frimpong
in 2015 have all been sanctioned
by the RFU
for reacting
to racial
abuse from
"It's a minority group but it's really sad - I have a good the stands.
relationship with the club but this is a big disgrace“(BBC 2010). (BBC 2015)
What the Russian authorities has to say? Reference list:
• Alexander Verkhovsky, the director of the Russian anti-racism research organization SOVA : BBC,2010. Osaze Odemwingie hits back at 'racist' Russian fans(15-December-2015).Available from:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/africa/8951098.stm

''Russian authorities have a very high tolerance to racism'‘ BBC,2014. Samba banned for his reaction to racist abuse in Moscow(17-December-2015).Available from:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/29391257

Nikita Simonyan, first vice president of the RFU : ''The situation is no worse than in other
Borden, Sam 2015 "Russia Tackles Racism, While Playing It Down, Ahead of World Cup." New York Times 3
• Nov. 2015: B17(L). Academic OneFile. Web. 15-December-2015.Available from:

countries in the world,I'm sure that we're improving the situation.'‘ (Reevell 2013)
• Alexei Tolkachev, the RFU Anti-racism inspector : ''We in Russia take this problem very
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?&id=GALE|A433467492&v=2.1&u=southampton&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w
Dubas A (2008) The Menace of a ‘Brown’ Russia. Ethnically Motivated Xenophobia: Symptoms, Causes and
Prospects for the Future. Warsaw: Centre for Eastern Studies
Fadeicheva MA (2007) The ideology and discourse practices of ‘us-ism’ in contemporary Russia.
Russian Politics and Law 45(3):p 62–73

seriously'‘…''We don't consider it as a serious problem'‘ Kick it out,2015.RACIST DISPLAYS BY RUSSIAN FOOTBALL FANS DOUBLE BEFORE WORLD CUP – FARE(16-
December-2015).Available from: http://www.kickitout.org/news/racist-displays-by-russian-football-fans-
double-before-world-cup-fare/
• Alexei Smertin, a former Russian national team player and ambassador for the World Cup bid : Korobkov AV (2008) Post-Soviet migration: New trends at the beginning of the twenty-first century. In:

'‘There's no racism in Russia because it does not exist.'‘ (Borden 2015)

Buckley CJ, Ruble BA and Hofman ET (eds) Migration, Homeland and Belonging in Eurasia. Washington,
DC: Woodrow Wilson Center Press, p 69–98
Mansoor A and Quillin B (2006) Migration and remittances: Eastern Europe and the Former
Soviet Union. Washington, DC: World Bank Publications. Available from:
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTECA/Resources/2578961167856389505/Migration_FullReport.pdf

Everyday intolerance and racism in contemporary Russia and why?

Statements such as “Russia for Russians” or “Russia needs Russian order” recently have become common (Fadeicheva,
2007: 69).
In two decades time, Russia has become the second biggest immigrant recipient in the world after the USA (Mansoor
and Quillin,2006).
More than 11m migrants from the post-Soviet states came to Russia in the period 1992–2006 (Korobkov, 2008).
The large number of migrants, the shrinking ethnic Russian population and the wars in Chechnya, have led to increasing
levels of xenophobia among Russians (Dubas,2008).
In a survey in 2005, 57% of respondents held negative attitudes towards immigrants(Ziemer 2010) and in 2007, 57% of
respondents believed that the government should impose stricter restrictions on immigration into the Russian
Federation (Dubas, 2008).
The Russian militsiia routinely stop individuals on the street for identity checks on the basis of appearance (Ossipow,2003).
Ossipow A (2003) Prüfung der Identität: Ethnische Intoleranz and Diskriminierung in Russland. In
Gefter W, Deile V, Alexejewa L, Dschibladse J and Schiffer S (eds) Russland auf dem Weg zum Rechtstaat?
Antworten aus der Zivilgesellschaft. Berlin: German Institute for Human Rights,p 72–79
Reevell, Patrick 2013. Accusations of racism haunting Russia. New York Times 26 Oct. 2013: D2(L).
Academic OneFile. Web. 15-December-2015.Available from:
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?&id=GALE|A346962135&v=2.1&u=southampton&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w
Reggie Yates:Extreme Russia,far right and proud,2015(Film).UK,BBC 2015
Telegraph,2011. Roberto Carlos has banana thrown at him during Russian football game(14-December-
2015).Available from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/8594357/Roberto-
Carlos-has-banana-thrown-at-him-during-Russian-football-game.html
The Guardian,2011. Russia 2018 vows to fight racism after banana thrown at Roberto Carlos(14-
December-2015).Available from: http://www.theguardian.com/football/2011/jun/24/russia-2018-
banana-roberto-carlos
The Guardian,2015. Emmanuel Frimpong hits out at Russian FA after it rejects racism claims(17-
December-2015).Available from: http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/jul/22/emmanuel-
frimpong-russia-fa-ufa-ban-racism
Ziemer U(2010). Minority youth, everyday racism and public spaces in contemporary Russia.Article
european journal of Corresponding author:Ulrike Ziemer, Centre for East European Language Based Area
Studies, School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London, Gower Street, London