07.05.2005 BATTLE CLUB

Small, but dangerous "slight war" goes at full speed in Petrozavodsk
"Informal" groups of youth have gathered together continuously many years behind a state university. Guys do not do anything particularly illegal. Admirers of "punk - rock", "alternative" and other tendecies of music simply communicate, "socialize" with each other.
Unpleasant events have begun to happen about a week ago.
*8212; We stood quietly, we haven’t to basically disturbed anybody, *8212; immediate participants of the events tell,who asked not to specify their names, and *8212; as have suddenly seen: there was a crowd of young people, there were about thirty person who wanted to attack us. They swung fists and swept away everything that was on their way. Thay haven’t even looked at all to whom they got impacts,thay’ve beaten everyone: both young people, and girls. Thus they screamed out slogans. Something like " Glory of Russia " and " White power ".
Nobody from victims does not know, what was the reason for the attack. Young people, who have externally conceived the fight reminded so-called "bond - heads": sports suits, white T-shirts with slogans.
The same has happened three times yet, police has been involved then, and it has dispersed all "party",which gathers behind university. To tell the truth,persons who attacked have suggested to transfer a place of rendezvous to Dergavinsky liceum as to finally clear up, whose nation is better.
*8212; the most interesting fact is that they do not belong to any political organization, and *8212; eyewitnesses assure. And *8212; When we have met with these people in a fracture clinic then, they could not explain at all why they have attacked. They just have told: well,we sat, drank, then someone has suggested to run. Well, have run... And in fact it’s not a joke, they have put serious injuries to many guys. One girl’s nose is broken, one guy was so "decorated", that his own mother does not recognize him
There is a suspicion, that such disorders are specially arranged by someone. Before groups of young people with similar slogans have already tried to ruin concerts of " informal groups ". Moreover organizers of these concerts assure, that they came by the machine with emergency plat.
*8212; If it is done specially as to prevent us from gathering behind university or somewhere else any more ,and *8212; representatives of " informal youth" speak however they don’t name themselves "informals" they ask to not name themselves and *8212; " we are the same as everyone , we just differ externally a little "), and *8212; is that possible in such a way? The leisure for young is not considered in our city, let they offer alternative to us. And so... In the same place are girls! And it is already terrible to stay at street one by one.
The leader of "Youth Human Rights Group Karelia" Maxim Efimov asserts, that neo-Nazis, skinheads and members of ?IA have been existing in Petrozavodsk for a long time yet. They have not disappeared anywhere and the incident *8212; fights with participation of skinheads and *8212; are a direct evidence to that. According to Maxim, it is rather easy to explan their behaviour: the youth who has no certain prospects, follows a criminal way. Fight and *8212; is an attempt to show in practice what these groupings are capable to do . It is not done so simply. Their skills of street fights can quite be used in dirty political strike and criminal disassemblies in the future.
*8212; I think, that fights and *8212;is a rehearsal of much more serious incidents, and *8212; Maxim speaks. And *8212; Though primitive skinheads look, to put it mildly, modestly on a background of Saint Petersburg and Moscow. It is one more reason to show their worst and prove their capital "brothers by minds ", that they are not worse. The police and Federal Security Service influenced on criminal authorities for the time being, they managed to restrain demonstrations of xenofobia and neo-fascism, but it was not possible finally to solve the problem. I am afraid, that some part of employees of police approve by itself of skinheads and shares their views in their heart of hearts. Informals are the same disturbers of calmness ; with whom it is easier to struggle for them and *8212. Tomorrow there can be visitors on a place of informals,dissidents.
And what about police?
The employee of the press-service of the Department of Internal Affairs, Leonid Rosenberg does not deny: fights really were. But not such massive. they have not reached the same as it was at the end of 80, when they fighted face to face.
*8212; I do not understand one thing , and *8212; Leonid explains, and *8212 ; why haven’t the victims applied to police? And in fact if there are no applications, continually it is meaningful to investigate. There were complaints,which were acted only from people living near to a place of fight. They have caused the detachment of emergency plat ,which has dispersed all the gathered. Now we control a situation completely, the police patrols university court yards constantly.

Ksenija Sorokina