Moscow Police Arrest 1,200 Migrants after Riots

Emily Dutton

Correspondent (Europe)

 

MOSCOW — The police arrested around 1,200 migrants on Monday, in what they described as a pre-emptive raid. It was the latest in a series of dramatic events, which appear to have been sparked by the murder of an ethnic Russian a week before. The arrests were made at a vegetable warehouse, which was the scene of an ultra-nationalist riot just hours previously.

Rioters targeted the scene claiming it was the work place of the person responsible for the murder of Egor Shcherbakov, a 25-year-old man, who was stabbed to death in front of his girlfriend on October 10, 2013. Chanting slogans such as ‘Russia for Russians’, the mob caused chaos throughout the Biryulyovo region of Moscow at numerous sites known to be employing migrant workers.

The violence escalated so quickly that the interior ministry activated Vulkan – 5, an emergency regime last required during the Moscow bombings three years ago, which claimed the lives of 40 people. Under the regime, the entire police force is deployed.

In what marked the capital’s worst nationalist unrest in three years, police made nearly 400 arrests. While most were later released, 70 will face administrative proceedings and two could face criminal charges. A total of 23 people were injured as a result of the riots including six riot police officers. It also prompted the police to open a criminal investigation into ‘hooliganism’.

The man suspected of killing Shcherbakov has been described by the Russian media as of ‘non-Slavic appearance’, a description, which struck a nerve among many protesters. The recent violence has prompted police to warn migrants to remain in the homes for fear of further attacks.

The ‘pre-emptive’ raid, which took place less than 24 hours after the riots, resulted in the huge number of arrests. A statement from a police spokesman explained, “During a preventative raid on a vegetable warehouse in the Biryulyovo district about 1,200 people were taken to police precincts to be checked for involvement in criminal activity.”

Over the last decade, animosity towards Russia’s immigrant population has continued to rise. Recent events are likely to fuel hostility. As the number of migrants grows at a parallel rate, the growing distance between the two groups is likely to continue to cause problems for the Russian authorities.

Image Courtesy: ManWithAToyCamera (http://www.flickr.com/photos/damian78/1344621925/);  Rarelibra 20:51, Realeased into the public domain¦Wiki Commons.