How Racist are Russians?

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Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who is the racist of them all? The answer is unknown. Very few countries actually keep track of hate crimes, and the research on this topic is, to put it mildly, insufficient. 

Maybe Russia is not the most racist country in the world, although it is hard to determine exactly which country can claim the title. However, considering the overall level of corruption, especially when it comes to the police force and the judicial system, the problems Russians experience with racism are insurmountable.

So, how racist are Russians?

More after the jump....


Judging by the map posted below, Russia might appear not as bad as some other countries when it comes to racial tolerance, but this map is very deceiving. Admit it, Russia is pretty close to being the most racist country in the world. The map itself cannot be considered as evidence since Israel is painted as "grey area". 

If you happen to have darker skin and pitch black hair, try to avoid travelling to Russia at any cost. Not because it is dangerous, but because no person in his right mind should support a racist country.

It is hard to imagine another country, even France, where there are as many hate crimes committed on a monthly basis as in Putin's Russia. Conveniently, all those crimes are being covered up by a notoriously corrupted judicial system. 

If you ever talk to a Russian, especially the one who works in the tourist industry, he or she will most likely tell you that Russians are not racists. They will also most likely provide a bogus explanation, something along these lines:

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"Russians are not racists. Even in the communist time, people were raised up on the idea that everybody was equal. The only thing is that few middle-aged and old people have something against the States. But they'll not insult or offend a tourist because of that. Just don't hurt anybody's patriotic feelings.

Anyway, Russians are more often than not very open and generous to the foreigners." Source

Are they open and generous to the foreigners? Not if those foreigners are from Tajikistan or Uzbekistan. Otherwise, self-perceived Russians might call them "black" or a derogatory term that means "an unsophisticated piece of wood." Even though the real meaning is lost in translation, the term itself is as bad as "n**ger" and thus just as offensive.

Russians are also not very fond of people from the Caucasus mountains region, especially from the republic of Chechnya. Actually, most Russians do not tolerate some ethnic minorities well. Although Chechnya is a part of Russia, the majority of Russians identify people by their phenotype and "ethnic features" rather than citizenship. People from the Caucasus mountains look strikingly different from ethnic Russians. It could be that their dark hair and dark brown eyes make them an easy target in public. 

It is important to mention December 2010 riots in Moscow, St. Pete's, Voronezh, Kaliningrad, and Samara. Source Those riots clearly showed the scale of the racial tensions in Russia.

According to SOVA, not a month goes by as somebody falls victim of Russian neo-Nazis. 

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African and Asian students, as well as everyone, who looks different,  are well aware of the fact, that they cannot walk alone in the dark, that they have to be careful while riding a public transport, that they have to be aware of their surroundings at all times. They have to be especially vigilant on April 20th. Can you guess why? Yes, in Russia, in the country that suffered immensely in the second world war, the very country that defeated fascism, now has enough people to celebrate April 20th.

Most minor crimes, including racially motivated attacks, do not get reported unless there is a serious injury. And even in this case, racial attacks are labeled as "hooliganism" rather than "hate crime".

Here is a video that aired back in the 2000s. Very little changed since that time, although since then the government has made some attempts to curb racial crimes. 

To illustrate racism even further, look at the message that was displayed on the U.S. Embassy building in Moscow on the U.S. president's birthday. This message was most definitely sponsored and approved by the higher authorities, although they would never admit to it.  

Well, what can you expect when a famous Russian Olympian, who was appointed to light up the Olympic torch during Sochi Olympic games, tweeted a racist, doctored picture of President Obama earlier. Details   It would be considered "normal" for an ordinary citizen, but Irina Rodnina is a member of The State Duma (the Russian Parlament).

At first, she claimed that there was nothing wrong with the picture, but then later she changed her story to a "hacked Twitter account." Sure, her daughter lives in the U.S. so she wants to get her visa without any problems.

So, to sum it up, not only the majority of Russians are racist, they don't even know what racism is. As they say, ignorance is bliss...