Window on Eurasia

Voronezh Teachers Told to Track ‘Extremists’ in Early Grades

 

Paul Goble

Vienna, September 5, 2006 – Police officials in Voronezh have told teachers
in that city’s primary schools that they need to identify and report
on pupils involved in potentially extremist informal organizations,
according to a report in yesterday’s “Nezavisimaya gazeta.”

And to help them do just that, the Pubic Security Police (which has the
Russian acronym MOB) has provided the teachers with both a list of
groups and the characteristics of each to allow them to classify their
pupils in such a way that officials can take appropriate measures to
prevent the children from reinforcing extremist groups.

In the list distributed by Voronezh MOB Major Sergei Chuzhikov, the
paper notes, teachers have been warned about the growing threat posed
by”criminal youth groups” as a result of cruelty shown on the
media, conflicts in the Caucasus, and immigration from former Soviet
republics.

Chuzhikov included in his list the following groups: skinheads, fascist
groups like RNE and Barkashov’s Guard, religious sects, national
bolsehviks, anti-globalists, Komsomolites, heavy metal devotees,
football fanatics, “and even participants in ‘Open Russia,’” a
group founded by George Soros.

A pupil with very short hair is a potential skinhead, by Chuzhikov’s
definition. Those who wear swastikas are fascists or potential
fascists. And the paper notes, “if a teacher notes a particular inclination of
a pupil toward camouflage dress or sport, metallic decorations, and long
hair – then he must take up his pencil and report to the militia.”

To help instructors do just that, “Nezavisimaya gazeta” says,
Chuzhikov provides a telephone number for them to call.

Followers of Eduard Limonov give themselves away, Chuzhikov continues,
by mentioning the names of the leaders of his group either at the
national or local level. And as for those pupils who could be
classified as dangerous “anti-globalists,” the Moscow paper reports, Chuzhikov
says they are distinguished by their knowledge of the law.

In short, almost any child could be classified as an extremist by a
teacher who takes the MOB major’s advice to heart. And consequently,
“Nezavisimaya gazeta” suggests, it is important to determine
whether Chuzhikov is acting on his own or attempting to implement directives
from above.

A Voronezh MOB official told the paper that “we had directives of the
city administration of internal affairs that in the summer we must send
suitable information letters for preventing violations of the law by
informal youth groups to all the schools of the district.”

She added “we outselves prepared these letters locally.” But the
paper suspects that there may be more to this than the excesses of a
single official or even a single office in one single city. And
“Nezavisimaya gazeta” asked two opposition politicians for their
reactions.

Andrei Rogatnev, a secretary of the Voronezh obkom of the Communist
Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF), said he was not surprised:
Wherever there are official definitions of groups that those in power
want opposed, he said, “the leadership [charged with doing so] will
go to absurd lengths.

And Vadim Solov’yev, the head of the KPRF’s legal affairs section,
said such listings had taken on a systemic character, with parallel
developments having occurred in Moscow, Smolensk, Omsk, Karelia and
other locations across the Russian Federation.

In June, the Russian Federation’s procurator general denied this was
the result of central policy, but Solov’yev said that this week KPFR
leader Gennaiy Zyuganov plans to raise this issue not only with
prosecutors but also with Vladimir Lukin, the Kremlin’s
plenopotentiary representative for human rights.

As to the likely consequences of those appeals, Solov’yev told
“Nezavisimaya gazeta,” we shall have to see how [these officials]
react.”

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