Survey: Young, urban Russians principal advocates of neo-Nazis

MOSCOW, Dec. 7 (JTA) — Almost half of all fascist sympathizers in Russia are 35 years old or younger and live in large cities. These were among the findings of the first-ever poll tracking attitudes toward neo-Nazis in Russia, which was conducted by the Public Opinion Foundation, a leading Moscow-based polling firm. Some 58 percent of Russians have a negative attitude toward neo-Nazi groups, while 6 percent of respondents have a positive attitude toward such groups, according to the poll. Thirty-six percent of respondents said they had no definite attitude toward neo-Nazi organizations. It was this last number that concerned a leading Russian anti-fascist activist. “Should the situation in the country change, these people’s attitude toward fascists might change from indifference to sympathy,” said Alla Gerber, a former member of the Russian Parliament. Far-right nationalists and neo-Nazi extremists have recently become more visible in Russia, especially in some provincial centers, and experts estimate that there are about 50 neo-Nazi and ultra-nationalist groups active in Russia. Among the other findings in the survey: * 15 percent of respondents encountered neo-Nazis in their daily lives; * 10 percent saw neo-Nazi symbols displayed in public places; and * 5 percent saw or read neo-Nazi periodical publications groups. The foundation interviewed 1,500 Russian adults at the end of October. The margin of error in the survey was plus or minus five percentage points.