The round table  organized by the Committee on Constitutional Legislation, Judicial and Legal Affairs, and Civil Society Development of the Federation Council attracted representatives from 44 regions of Russia. It is a known fact that during the past year our country has adopted a number of laws that are either not working or are creating extra problems for civil society. The discussion showed that the bill “On Inadmissibility of Actions to Rehabilitate Nazism” could join that club. 

The bill states the inadmissibility of circulation of materials aiming at the rehabilitation of Nazism via mass-media, including internet. But there’s not a word in this bill about any actual Nazi materials of Russian origin or about modern Russian Nazism. The first deputy chair of the Committee, Boris Spiegel, talked about the activization of Nazis in the Baltic states, Finland and Ukraine. But he never explained how the new Russian law will influence foreign Nazis. However, every other speaker stressed the huge growth of Nazi organizations inside Russia.

It’s symbolic that on this particular date, November 27th, the Centre for Interethnic Cooperation celebrated its 15th birthday. But nobody in the Committee on Constitutional Legislation, Judicial and Legal Affairs, and Civil Society Development of the Federation Council, that initiated this discussion of the antifascist bill, knew anything about this antifascist organization. How to explain otherwise that the director of the Centre for Interethnic Cooperation, Ashot Ayrapetyan, who was in the list of official speakers, was given the floor only at the very end and after long persuasion.

“In the Caucasus they say: don’t throw stones at others when sitting in a house made of glass. According to the number of hate crimes Russia’s rating is one of the highest in Europe. On the first hand we need to adopt a law on the inadmissibility of Nazism in Russia. And only after we can see the positive results of the implementation of this law could we ask other countries to take measures with regards to their own Nazis," said Mr. Ayrapetyan.

Centre for Interethnic Cooperation
PO Box 8
127055 Moscow
Tel./Fax: +7(499) 973-12-47, 972-68-07
www.interethnic.org