Neo-Nazi street attacks are making a comeback in Russia. Experts link it to 2000s nostalgia, Internet clout culture, and the war – #terror

A dark trend has returned to Russia: far-right nationalists sharing videos of brutal attacks on ethnic minorities and other “outsiders.” Each month, at least about 100 new clips of violence against migrants from the Caucasus and Central Asia, LGBTQ+ people, and homeless people appear online. According to experts interviewed by the RFE/RL project Kavkaz.Realii, this revival of neo-Nazi and skinhead culture goes hand in hand with the Russian authorities’ ubiquitous wartime propaganda. Meduza shares an abridged translation of the outlet’s reporting. The video starts with the victim already sitting on the ground, and the attackers surrounding him and kicking him. Then the victim manages to get up and starts running away, but the attackers knock him down again and continue kicking. Five people take part in the beating, including the cameraman. The victim is a large middle-aged man. His face isn’t shown. The description refers to him as a ‘khach’ [a slur for people from the Caucasus]. The video is being spread by the gang White Boys Nevograd. This description is from a post by the Telegram channel Nazi Video Monitoring Project, which tracks online clips of racist violence in Russia. The post is referring to a video published on November 26 that shows an attack that presumably took place in St. Petersburg. The monitoring channel doesn’t share the video itself, but it does post screenshots showing a man being beaten in the snow. “If you know the identity of the attackers or the victim, recognize the location of the crime, or have any other information about this incident, please let us know,” the channel wrote. (…) At the same time, even as law enforcement cracks down on radical groups, legal nationalist organizations have gained more visibility. The most prominent among them is the group Russian Community, which enjoys public support from Investigative Committee head Alexander Bastrykin as well as other influential politicians and officials. “The violent videos are generally made by teenagers, usually between 14 and 20 years old,” Sergeev explained. “Meanwhile, most members of Russian Community are middle-aged people who are dissatisfied with their lives. But there are some examples of interaction: in Nizhny Novgorod, the local branch of Russian Community tried to form a youth division out of young neo-Nazis. In Chelyabinsk, the Russian Community took the neo-Nazi teenagers who had started a violent riot at Educational Center No. 5 under its wing. In far-right chat groups, people say that Russian Community’s resources should be used for training, as the organization provides shooting ranges and halls for hand-to-hand combat,” Sergeev said.

via meduza: Neo-Nazi street attacks are making a comeback in Russia. Experts link it to 2000s nostalgia, Internet clout culture, and the war