Die Zeit: terrorist attacks in Domodedovo enhance xenophobia in Russia

Xenophobia in Russia is rising, so is rising the number of victims of racism. The survey showed that 19% of respondents experience hostile feelings towards people of other nationalities. Last year there was only 11%. In 2010, 37 people died, they became victims of racist violence. The right-winged and extreme right-winged groups believe all this to be evidence of their rightfulness.

The growing resentment of the Russian population towards North Caucasian republics increases sympathy for the right-winged radicals. As a rule, they are joined by young people who cannot find themselves in the Russian society. They don’t believe that such government structures as police or judicial authorities are guided by the principle of justice.

Many of the young people do not see any prospects for themselves in the Russian society, where the gap between the rich and the poor rapidly continues to deepen. The youth is trying to direct their aggressiveness against those, whom they don’t believe: against Caucasians and against the authorities. Russian authorities fear a new outbreak of street fighting and therefore they are trying to win over the young people a year before the parliamentary elections.