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Vaiva Seskeviciute,

Correspondent (Europe)

 

MOSCOW - Russian nationalists celebrated National Unity Day by protesting against migrants whom they accuse of increased crime rate and takeover of jobs.

The protest that took place on the 4th of November gathered several thousand young and middle-age Russians in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan and Irkutsk. Many protesters carried Russian imperial flags and displayed banners reading “Russia for Russians” and “Young People Against Tolerance”.

Central Asian migrants are widely employed in big cities and do low-paid jobs that Russians are not eager to do. However, while some Russians were marching in the south-east Moscow, others said that they support the demonstrations as there are too many immigrants in their neighbourhoods.

In September UN reported that there are about 11 million migrants in Russia. As it is a visa-free country for all Central Asian republics, the majority of immigrants work there legally. The authorities have showed interest in neither integrating newcomers nor cutting on the immigration. As the government is taking little action about the flow of migrants from former Soviet Central Asian republics and Muslim Russian Caucasus region, animosity in Russia is getting stronger among nationalists.

Moscow police said that about 30 people were detained for using Nazi slogans or symbols and other transgressions.

Image Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

Vaiva Seskeviciute

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