The two things that were evident on the morning of the 4th of November, 2006 in Moscow was the brisk cold air and the number of police on the streets.
November 4 is People's Unity Day in Russia. Although this day has a new name, it originally was a holiday to commemorate the liberation of the Moscow princedom from Polish invaders in 1612.
Last year in 2005, was the inauguration of People's Unity Day. Russians were split on the meaning if this day as some took it for the unity of all who were within the Russian borders and others took it as unity of only ethnic Russians. One seeing a venue of multiculturalism, the other see nationalism and still tied to the old meaning of the day, a day of liberation, liberation from illegal immigrants.
The Russian government was not prepared for what happened last year. As many as 5000, and maybe as many as 8000 people marched in terms of celebrating the holiday as a "March Against the Invaders." The march included conservative more mainstream members of DPNI, an organization that translates into English as Movement Against Illegal Immigration, nationalists, and ultra-nationalist organizations such as Slavonic Union and National Socialist Organization.
The Russian Orthodox Church participated as well.
Although there was a minority of right wingers that threw seig heils at the event last year, by and large it was a peaceful event. A peaceful demonstration.
This year the Moscow City government vowed to ban the march, DPNI and "Right Wingers".
Declaring last years marchers as outcast, Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov declared he would not allow them to destroy unity of Russian society.
Other pro-Kremlin officials urged police to crack down on any one who ignored the bans. Vladimir Vasilyev, chairman of the Duma's security committee stated police should act "as harshly as needed, considering the possible consequences, while State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov urged law enforcement officials to pay special attention to provocations by the marchers.
Part of this reaction by the government was some of the symbolism used in last years march by ultra right wingers. Symbolism and slogans that included Nazi flags, posters with Swastikas and Seig Heils. Symbolism and slogans that are usually only used when people feel their back are up against the wall and that their voice is not being represented. Symbols and slogan to demand attention.
Regardless of the ban and the intimidation by the government, both city and national, Alexander Belov, head of DPNI, was determined the march was going to occur. Belov proclaimed: "They ban it, but I allow it."
Vladimir Tor, one of the organizers, informed the government that Nazi symbolism would not be used. He expressed that anyone using Nazi symbolism would be removed from the march.
Twelve slogans were approved. Some examples of the patriotic slogans included "Russia is a land of Russians", "Russian order on Russian Soil", "I am Russian" and "For freedom of speech."
Not all in the Russian government were against the march. Duma members that were expected to participate included Andrei Saveliyev, Boris Vinobradov and Dmitry Rogozin of the nationalist Rodina (Motherland) faction, Communist Viktor Alksnis and Nikolai Kurianovich, who was expelled from the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party on Tuesday for "breaching party discipline". The Liberal Democratic Party did not approve of Mr. Kurianovich's assistance in the organization of the march or his participation.
Yabloko, a liberal party in Russia, a party more in line with American Libertarians, approved of the march as long as there were no Nazi slogans. They were also concerned that if banned there could be harm to Muscovites due to the determination of the DPNI and the right wingers.
Moscow was not the only city involved. Many desiring a nationalist Russia from St. Petersberg, Nizhny Novgorod, Krasnoyarsk, Chita and 17 other cities marched against illegal immigration as well.
Searches were made the day before the march. One search included the residence of Alexei Kanurin, a man who filed for a permit for the march. The police seized a flag with the emblem of DPNI.
Saturday morning arrives and there are over 6500 police in Moscow determined to intimidate if not vowed to shut the march down. The Russian forces included Moscow police, the National Guard and special forces. There were many buses for taking people to jail, two water canons, and a rarity in Russia: a police helicopter over head.
Russian patriotism is like a broken dam, something not to get in the way of. Although by noon the police detained over 3,000 people, DPNI, right wingers, nationalists and others were determined to demonstrate their patriotism.
All ultra right wingers were detained before the event as a conflict with Anti-Fascist was sure to ensue.
From 11 am until 1 pm about 3,000 people gathered at Slavyanskaya Ploshchad (Slavic Square) to listen to speakers and to fly their flags of nationalism and patriotism.
The crowd was enthusiastic, flying banners of the DPNI and Russian Imperial flags.
There were speakers from the Rodina Party and People's Will Party. Alexander Belov gave an enthusiastic speech from the top of a van with his megafone as Russian patriotic music played in the background.
There were only a couple of incidents where Nazi symbolism was used and these people were promptly removed.
After the listening to the speakers, the crowd moved to the Komsomolskya metro station. A shorter distance than the original planned march, but all that was allowed by the police.
In the progression to the station a Duma deputy, the outspoken Nikolai Kurianovich, was arrested. Mr. Kurianovich, as all deputies, legally has immunity from arrest. He resisted and was beaten by the policeman.
It is has been stated that Mr. Kurianovich has been relieved of his duties as a Duma Deputy for his participation in the march. (I met Mr. Kurianovich at th Russian Parliament this afternoon 7/11/2006 and his release is under appeal and such events will probably go by the way side.)
One may ask why this RusMarch 2006 created such controversy in Russia.
From the participants eyes. they see a decaying Russia. A Russia that is losing its Russian identity from illegal immigration.
How bad is illegal immigration in Russia?
Russia has a border that is 12,331 miles in distance. There are 15 countries that border Russia. Two, Finland and Norway are prosperous. Belarus, Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia are stable. Poland and the Ukraine are border line third world, and the others, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Mongolia, and North Korea are considered third world status. China is a special exception as Chinese cities are considered prosperous, while the Chinese rural areas are considered third world and is largely overcrowded.
Georgia, and the Russian territory known as Chechnya, have large extremist Muslim populations. Chechnya has been funded by Muslim extremists to create chaos in Russia, as Chechnya has never been an independent nation from Russia.
Other countries considered "far abroad" that export illegal immigrants into Russia are Vietnam and Afghanistan, Iran, and Middle-Eastern countries.
Most illegal immigrants compose of three groups. 1) those with falsified documents or who cross the border illegally. 2) foreigners, wither students or workers who over stay their visa and/or work contract. 3) Transit migrants and refugees, many who go on to more developed countries in Europe and America.
Refugees are a special status, as Russia participates in the Bishkek Agreement, Russia's adherence to the UN Convention of (1951), and the Protocol of Refugee Status (1967). The lack of laws and data collection on the amount and effects of illegal immigration and a porous border only make illegal immigration easier.
The numbers coming to Russia are very difficult to track. Primarily, the government is not set up to do so and a porous border does not help. The number of illegal immigrants is up to 20 times higher than those who come to Russia legally. While there are no specific numbers it is thought that illegal immigration grew by 10 times in 5 years between 1992 and 1997. Estimates of 100,000 yearly in the late 90's are reported, but with the strength of the Russian economy with an annual growth rate of 6.4%, one can only conclude that the demand for cheap labor has risen as well as the influx of illegal immigrants.
Most illegal immigrants go to urban areas. Russian cities with large illegal immigrant populations include Moscow, St. Petersburg, Rostov, Stavropol, and Krasnodar. In the Far East, Khabarovsky and Primorskiy are the largest cities affected. The Urals and the Eastern Frontiers are also effected due to large mining and timber operations.
The reason illegal aliens come to Russia is primarily economic, both in the labor market and purchasing power.
With many immigrants, particularly Chinese, having formed enclaves, many come to Russia not to become Russian, but purely for the economic benefits and to live in a community that is similar to their homeland. This is typically called Balkanization.
The amount of government aid to illegal immigrants is currently unknown. While most, if not all Russians receive free health care and a free education, it can only be assumed that illegal immigrants benefit from the state as well. These benefits must considered in the cost to the Russian state and the Russian people.
Illegal immigration has created a most undesirable effect in Russia in that with the fall of communism highly skilled labor has been fleeing Russia, while less skilled labor is flocking to Russia. This creates an imbalance in the supply of native workers as well as domestic ethnic unrest and cultural conflicts.
About two million people per year are lost from Mother Russia and she has lost 35 million ethnic Russians in the last 15 years. The current population of Russia is 145 million.
Mother Russia loses her people to poor economic conditions, usually created by job displacement, scouring of resources and illegal activities by the illegal immigrants.
One cannot ignore the criminal element in this cost to the Russian people. Crime conventionally creates hidden costs in higher prices, higher insurance costs, and higher taxes to pay to curtail crime. The social cost of fear, security and in the case of drug use and dependency the cost of the loss of life, loss of labor force, and loss of spirit and soul.
Illicit drugs, mainly from Afghanistan, and alcoholism plague Russian society. Intravenous drug use has created the fastest growing Aids epidemic in the world.
The flesh trade has claimed over three million Russian women in the last 15 years as Russian women are sold as sex slaves primarily into Muslim, Jewish and Asian countries, as well as Europe and America. This human trafficking is third only to illegal drugs and arms sales in organized-crime profits. This human trafficking still claims over 50,000 women a year from Mother Russia and many more from other former Soviet republics.
The human trafficking issue is an issue of its own, particularly when it comes to women. Women are the most precious resource a nation has. They are the mothers of future generations.
Numbers in cost do not do justice to the spiritual and social cost of crime.
Let's consider the Chinese equation.
There are over 18 million Chinese in Russia. There are many reasons Chinese flee China. One of these include economic opportunity both in better incomes and since China has a population of over 1 billion economic opportunity in more purchasing power as resources are scarce in China.
Where there are resources there usually is wealth. The Chinese are also very involved in organized crime, particularly in Siberia, as the land is sparcly populated and difficult for Russian forces, military. and police to maintain law and order.
Aside from economic opportunities in Russia, the Chinese flock to Russia to flee the one-child rule in China. Thus, the Chinese are producing many more babies than the Russians, enough that with a continuous influx of immigrants that there are expected to be over 40 million Chinese in Russia in the next 15 years, while the ethnic Russian population is expected to deplete by 45 million down to only 100 million ethnic Russians.
(The birthrate of Russia is -0.37, with only 9.95 per 1000 in 2004, in 1960 it was 23.4 per 1000. Russia has one of the largest abortion rates in the world, losing more life/fetuses than all ethnic Russian lives lost in battle in WW I and WW II. Women usually become infertile after 3 abortions. Contributing to infertility as well is a rampant HPV epidemic.)
Much of the above creates an environment for Russians to emigrate to countries where life is easier and more stable. But love for Mother Russia is something that is part of a Russian's soul. For many leaving is not an option, both in economic and spiritual terms.
For those there is Alexander Belov, Nickolai Kuranovich, and many others. For those there was RusMarch2006.
Although the government of a fledgling democracy tried to stifle free speech and the most important free speech of patriotic speech, RusMarch 2006 is now history.
All in all. it was a peaceful demonstration of patriotic Russians uniting to keep their customs, their language, their culture, their history, and their heritage. It was a demonstration of patriotic Russians wanting to keep the prosperity and civility created by previous generations, often called a birth rite.
The future for Russia looks bright in that there is a large group of people, not only concerned about their future, but also the future of Mother Russia. Not only are these people concerned, they are actively involved and willing to go to the streets for their country and more so for their ethnic identity.
Time will only tell if the Russian government will protect its borders; prevent the hiring of illegal immigrants; and enforce large penalties on those who hire, harbor, and bring in illegal immigrants.
Time will only tell if the Russian government will create a strong police force to crack down on the criminal elements of illegal immigration, both internal and external, that affects Russian society.
It can certainly be said the Putin administration has done much more than the previous Yelstin administration. President Putin, an ethnic Russian, hopefully, will realize what is at stake is Russia's national security, favorable conditions for economic progress and, evern more importantly, to save what can only be described as Mother Russia's soul.
In coincidence, the date of the RusMarch 2006 coincided with Revolution Day, November 7th. A day the Russian government is quietly trying to get the Russian people to forget.
This is interesting in that Communism was to be a world revolution. The illegal immigration that plagues all prosperous, industrial, and civilized nations now effects the home of Communism. Trotsky would be proud of the Globalists, who have now taken the reins of the classless, raceless, nationless egalitarian society proposed by Communism so long ago. The globalist in the soulless name of diversity, multiculturalism, profit, and greed transforms mountains into molehills at the cost of nations and the people of nations.
Mother Russia is very familiar with this cost, especially the cost of 60 million Russian souls. If the Globalists are not stopped then the genocide of the Russian people and all people of European decent will continue, the people who have given the world so many inventions, science, art, and civil politics.
These are the people who have given the world civilization.
Think of the glory to come.
Think of our People as one.
Our blood and our soil must not go.
Mother Russia we must save her soul.
When I look in the eyes of a child.
That is when I know.
When I look in the eyes of a child.
Mother Russia we must save her soul.
This report was written by Preston Wiginton
Statistics were provided in part by Pavel Tulaev
A report by Eugene Krassinets, participants in the event and Moscow newspapers.
Copyright 2006 Preston Wiginton
Authors note: I was going to have many flags at the event representing an international march against illegal immigration. Unfortunately Delta airlines did not deliver my luggage until the next Tuesday.
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