Alright, I truly debated writing this post but came to the conclusion that I would not really be giving a very true-to-form depiction of my time here if I did not acknowledge every aspect of it…..good and bad. The statements that I am about to make do not reflect all Russians by any means….some of the most hospitable and warm-hearted people that I have met have been Russians…in general; however, I have observed that Russians have a severe problem with racism. If someone is of a different race, skin pigment, or looks slightly foreign they are instantly targeted by police and looked down upon by others. On the Eve of Woman’s Days I witnessed this in the worst of ways. I was walking home late that night and I saw two Russian police men throw two Asian boys against a car. The boys were pleading with the police but they just started beating them….first with their fists and then with bats. I have never felt so disgusted and helpless in my life! I quite literally felt like I was going to throw up after seeing this! I ran and ducked into a 24 hour shop to gather my thoughts and to make a phone call. A few minutes later the same two police men walked in and their bats were dripping blood all over the floor.
This past week was a rough one for Saint Petersburg. There were two suicide bombings in Moscow on Monday, two in Dagestan on Wednesday, and one near the border of Chechnya on Thursday. The racist( sometimes disguised as “terrorist”) issues are starting to culminate and bite them in the butt. President Medvedev is promising harsher measures and punishments but I think it is just making things worse. “Violence produces violence,” Zakayev( a Chechen rebel) said in an interview with Associated Press Television News. “A huge state can’t terrorize the population for 15 years without a backlash. People involved in that suffer a shift in their psychology.” This past week the Russian military and police have been out around town in great numbers. On my walk home one night this week, I could not go anywhere without seeing a person of Asian, African, or Middle Eastern descent being stopped by police( usually it is just to see their documents and give them a fine).
It is a very sticky situation. I hurt for Russia right now and the families and friends affected by the bombings. I also hurt for those living here who are abused and discriminated against on a daily basis. Neither side is right……everyone is at fault in some capacity. I love this country and ALL of its inhabitants and it is my prayer that God will heal the hatred and hurt that is so prevalent in this, the Motherland.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100401/ap_on_re_eu/eu_russia_bombings
