Medvedev Warns Against Ethnic Attacks

[frigidmagi]

NYTimes

[quote]After an outburst of ethnic violence on the streets of the capital, President Dmitri A. Medvedev on Monday warned that nationalist attacks threatened Russia’s stability and ordered law enforcement agencies to crack down on race-based clashes amid reports of further attacks on ethnic minorities here.

Mr. Medvedev’s statement, delivered in steely tones on national television, attempted to rein in unrest that erupted over the weekend. Thousands of young men massed outside Red Square on Saturday, attacking both police officers and passers-by who had the dark complexions of migrants from Central Asia and the Caucasus. Since then, the police have reported beatings, stabbings and shootings of people who were not ethnic Russians, often by groups of young people.

Mr. Medvedev ordered the police to prevent “chaosâ€