(CSM) "The big protests we saw in 2010 attracted a lot of notice, and there was a lot of talk about fixing the problems, but due to the very short timeline our politicians work with, nothing was done," says Nikolai Petrov, a political scientist at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow.
Mr. Petrov says by not doing things like raising wages and improving conditions for public sector jobs to encourage Russians to take such jobs, officials are effectively encouraging migrant laborers to take low-wage jobs.
“They protect the employers, but play on the prejudices of the public, blaming illegal immigrants for all ills in their rhetoric. Even Putin toyed with these themes during his presidential election campaign," Mr. Petrov says. “Is it any surprise that less sophisticated people pick up these ideas, and are activated by them?”
The detentions of migrants, he adds, are an empty show of force. "It's theater, to distract the public from the real problems. The way to deal with illegal immigration would, of course, be to go after those who are using this labor. But this is an extremely profitable business for Moscow's bosses, and it's lubricated by mass corruption.” […]
Read the full article: "Russian race riot: Why did police detain hundreds who had nothing to do with it?" | © Christian Science Monitor (Oct 15)
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Nikolay Petrov was also quoted in: “Russia Responds to Anti-Migrant Riots by Arresting Migrants” | © TIME (Oct 14)
