The so-called Russian March on the newly declared Day of National Unity follows last year's example when around 3000 people under the slogan «Russia against the Occupiers» marched through Moscow. Among the most noticeable participants was the Movement against Illegal Immigration (DPNI), which inherits the rhetoric of Western extreme right parties and tries to hide its xenophobic message under a pretext of «legitimate» discussion about immigration and "ethnic" criminality. The majority of the participants were Nazi skinheads who displayed Nazi salutes, stylized swastikas and shouted Nazi slogans. Among them were members of "Slavic Union", a radical neo-Nazi group, whose members are figurants of several criminal investigations into murders and violent assaults on foreigners and antifascist activists.
This year Movement against Illegal Immigration (DPNI) has officially declared the so-called Russian March as its priority and promises to mobilize more than 5000 participants in Moscow and hold similar actions in other parts of Russia. "Slavic Union”, as well as other neo-Nazi groups, has also declared that they are determined to take part in the March.
This year the March was supported by at least 15 members of the Russian Parliament. Several MPs directly participated in the preparatory activities of the March in direct cooperation with the DPNI and other neo-fascist groups. All marches, including the Russian March, as well as several antifascist rallies were banned by city authorities. In response, the organizers of the Russian March declared that they will defy the ban and gather underground in a subway station, where it is impossible to disperse the large numbers of people. Outbursts of violence against minorities, as well as clashes with the police by extreme-right radicals are highly probable.
The only way the Russian state knows how to react to this is to use police measures, that are inadequate to the situation and target not only fascists and right-wing radicals, but also human rights and antifascist activists that are determined to have peaceful counter-demonstrations. The state has failed to react to the resurgence of extreme-right groups; rather it prefers to use them for its own political games and to channel discontent. Recent systematic discrimination against Georgians and anti-immigrant rhetoric, persecution of political opposition and calls from the President to support "the native population" as well as reluctant reactions to hate crimes clearly demonstrate that the state is to blame for the rise in xenophobia and growing influence of extreme-right groups.
We voice our concerns with the raising level of xenophobia, anti-immigrant rhetoric and growing influence of extreme-right groups in Russia which meet little or no reprisal from the authorities.
We consider it unacceptable that representatives of the authorities and the political establishment support and justify the activities of extreme-right groups and use xenophobic rhetoric.
We demand that the authorities of the Russian Federation increase their efforts to combat xenophobia, all forms of discrimination and manifestations of hatred.
We demand that the Russian authorities stop the practice of banning non-violent assemblies and allow for peaceful antifascist protests to take place.