A Russian apartment ... but only for Russians
Posted: Friday, March 23, 2007 1:47 PM
Filed Under:
Moscow, Russia
By Yonatan Pomrenze, NBC News Producer
During my recent hunt for a new apartment in Moscow’s astronomically-priced real estate market, I came across postings like this one all the time.
“2 room apt. Newly refurbished. All appliances, high-speed internet, quiet courtyard. Central Asians need not apply.” (Or, “No Tajiks.” “No Georgians, No Uzbeks, No one from the Caucasus, Slavic family only, etc.”)
But what actually surprised me was the conversation I had with an agent over the phone:
“What nationality are you?” she asked.
“American.”
“No, no. Not your citizenship – what is your nationality? You know, the landlords will want to know.”
Regardless of my being American, if my “nationality” (the Russian term for ethnicity) wasn’t a desirable one – say if I was African-American or Asian-American – the landlords may decide not to rent their apartment to me.
Rise in crimes against foreigners
Racism and discrimination are not unique to Russia, but the level at which it is acceptably expressed in society is.
Russia’s Day of National Solidarity last November saw nationalist rallies in a number of Russian cities, under slogans like “Russia for Russians” organized by the Movement Against Illegal Immigration. Political parties (such as the misnamed Liberal Democratic Party of Russia) openly campaign under promises to give Moscow its “Russian face” back.
And as the push for greater nationalism grows, the Russian Interior Ministry recently released figures showing that crimes against foreigners since the beginning of 2007 are already up 22 percent compared to last year.
And while Russia has hate-crime laws on the books, people who attack African students or Uzbek laborers are often charged with “hooliganism,” which carries a more lenient sentence than the mandatory ones accompanying hate crimes. I have African friends who have been attacked in the past, and simply won’t set foot on the largely unmonitored metro system.
Even steps taken to fight the problem seem to have the opposite effect. The Duma (Russian parliament) is considering a law now that would ban media outlets from mentioning the race, ethnicity, or religion of a suspected criminal or victim in their reporting.
The bureaucrats’ logic is that this will fight racism by keeping reports unbiased. But as analysts, journalists, and human-rights activists across the board have pointed out: How can you raise awareness of hate crimes if you can’t even report on the fact that they are taking place?
For Russian leaders, cracking down on racism and hate crimes is a balancing act. If they come out defending minorities too strongly, they risk alienating an electorate that clearly leans to the right.
