10.11.2005 6 258 673: Crystal lives (action devoted to the Holocaust victims)

On the 9th of November, 2005 the central part of Petrozavodsk was agitated by the action, that was held by Karelian branch of УYouth Human Rights GroupФ. Participants, with photos of famous Jews (I. Levitan, I. Brodskiy, S. Marshak, F. Mendelson) on their backs, gathered together on the Student Avenue with the slogan УNo racism in KareliaФ. They moved down the main street of the city Ц Lenin prospectЕ The participants carried in hands banners with the following slogans: УStop racismФ, УThe Karelian youth against racismФ, У6 258 673:crystal livesФ- this is the exact number of the Jews who died or were killed in Holocaust, that began on the 9th of November,1938.
It should be mentioned that the action didnТt attract much attention: maybe our citizens, who donТt get used to such actions and events, didnТt know how to react. Some people smiled ironically, others got afraid and stepped aside, some thought for a while. The passers-by kept silent. The action ended with a common photo near the building of the city administration.
On the Eve of the action a representative of the law-enforcement agencies was surprised by a wish of the youth to announce their intolerance to fascism signs in the society:
- Why Karelia?
- Really, why? The republic is quiet. There are no such crimes because of national intolerance as in S.-Petersburg. The question is Ц with what to fight? But still there are some hostile signs to nations that come and live in Karelia Ц it is so- called Уdomestic racismФ. We got used to fascism slogans of the skin-headed youth Ц illiterate, narrow-minded , donТt understand exactly what they are doing. It is a puberty ageЕ But when we hear university tutors, professors saying anti-Semitic remarks, it becomes really terrifying.
- УJews are guilty for the way we live nowФ, УCaucasian limit rights of the Russian!Ф. We hear such words very often. The problem exists. In the world, in Russia, in Karelia. In our quiet republic, where 90% of population Ц Russians, got used to the calm way of life, thatТs why people in our republic have hostile attitude to the people with other colors of skin, with accents. People in big cities have got used to multi-ethnics, but in our city everything new is accepted very difficult. Citizens accumulate negative emotions in themselves and only one occasion is needed, so that hostility, hatred can appear on the surface. Representatives of the law-enforcement agencies are waiting for it: УThen we will fightФ. Now, as they say, there is no problem and thatТs why sleep quiet, our loved city!