YABLOKO statement on the nationalistic insurgence in Moscow, October 14, 2013

The events that took place in the West Biryulevo district, Moscow, on October 13, make us once again express our concern in connection with the destructive developments taking place in the Russian society.

There are no justifications for Yegor Shcherbakov’s murderer. We express our condolences with Yegor’s relatives and next of kin and demand from the law enforcement to spare no effort for immediate detention of the murderer.

But we also condemn the actions of the pogrom-makers who used the tragedy as a pretext for expressing their ignoble emotions towards the people of a different ethnic origin. It’s obvious that the workers of the shopping centre and the vegetable warehouse whom the pogrom-makers wanted to “punish” had nothing to do with the murder of Yegor Shcherbakov.

What is more, this time the police didn’t give any reason to doubt their sincere wish to bring the murderer to justice as soon as possible.

The actions of the peace breakers should be considered not only as vandalism, but as a crime on the grounds of ethnic hatred.

Once again we are stating complete nonfeasance of the authorities towards criminal employers [of migrants’ labour] going on exploiting extra cheap labour of illegal immigrants.

The resulting situation when new waves of immigrants arrive to Moscow [as extra cheap labour force] creates grounds for interethnic hostility.

Immigrants in the first place become victims of this hostility and in the absence of adequate reaction on behalf of the government the blame for a mass-scale bloodshed will be laid on the latter.

We are urging the federal and the Moscow authorities and the law enforcement agencies to do the following:

1. Spare no effort for immediate arrest of Yegor Shcherbakov’s murderer.

2. Find all the instigators of the unlawful actions of October 13 and bring them to justice in accordance with the law.

3. Immediately begin indentifying the employers involved in hiring illegal labour, as well as officials and law enforcement officers helping them.

If the authorities do not demonstrate adequate actions, professionalism and energy in this critical situation, the citizens of Russia should expect new troubles and count only on themselves in counteraction to these troubles.

Sergei Mitrokhin
YABLOKO Chairman

See also:

The Moscow Times, October 13
Moscow Erupts in Riots Over Killing

Riot Called a Result of Growing Anti-Migrant Sentiment