Russia will do everything to stamp out anti-Semitism

Russia’s current legislation is aimed at unifying society and the country’s authorities will do everything in their power to ensure that there is no anti-Semitism in Russia whatsoever, Federation Council (upper house of parliament) Speaker Valentina Matviyenko said at the Second Moscow International Conference on Combating Anti-Semitism, Racism and Xenophobia on Monday.

"There will be no anti-Semitism and xenophobia in Russia, Russian authorities and civil society will make every possible effort to ensure that," she vowed.

While addressing the forum, Matviyenko pointed out that "the world has not become safer." On the contrary, "radical elements, extremist groups, the carriers of anti-Semitism, racism, xenophobia, as well as of other forms of intolerance, have been given a free hand, while neo-Nazis are also raising their ugly heads again," she stressed. "The fact that this is happening even in European countries and other states portraying themselves as the paragons of civilization, democracy and respect for human rights and freedoms, can only raise alarm bells," the Russian senate speaker stressed.

"Fortunately, this does not apply to today’s Russia," she continued, citing reports about the so-called level of anti-Semitism in Russia, referring to 2017 and the first six months of 2018. According to the reports, neither anti-Semitic violence nor related acts of vandalism had been recorded in Russia over that period.

Matviyenko was confident that it had been "achieved through the Russian state’s consistent policy, the adoption and implementation of laws against all kinds of extremism and incitement of social, ethnic and religious hatred." "The very spirit of our legislation is aimed at consolidating this multi-ethnic nation’s unity," the senate speaker emphasized.