Activists question Russian call for crackdown on racist media

MOSCOW, Nov. 12 (JTA) – Russian officials have vowed to clamp down on hate crimes and racist publications, but some observers charge
that they are only paying lip service. Justice Minister Sergei Stepashin called this week for a new law regulating the media that would enable his ministry to clamp down on publications promoting fascism, anti-Semitism or radical ideologies. But some people note that two publications – the Moscow-based Storm Trooper and The Bell, published in the southern city of Volgograd – continue to be published despite the fact that criminal proceedings have been launched against their operations. Earlier this week, Russian Prosecutor General Yuri Skuratov said law enforcement agencies have trouble cracking down on hate crimes and extremist publishing ventures because the country’s laws are not precise enough in spelling out what is not permitted. Anti-fascist activists claim that very few cases of hate crimes have ever reached the courts. Yevgeny Proshechkin, head of the Moscow-based Anti-Fascist Center, said this week that “sufficient action has not yet been taken by the prosecutor’s office” against anti-Semitic activities. In recent months, the Russian Jewish Congress and other Jewish groups have repeatedly called on the authorities to take a stand against racism and anti-Semitism.