Jesse Jackson Wades In On Russian Racism Row

Published: 23^rd Mar 12 6:21 am

by Alan Dymock
Alan Dymock

RANT It!

Jesse Jackson Wades In On Russian Racism Row

Both images by Felix Roittner/GEPA-US PRESSWIRE

It is a problem that keeps rearing its ugly head. Racist incidents keep happening at Russian soccer grounds and there is growing concern that not only is nothing changing, but that nothing will change in time for the World Cup arriving in 2018.

This week there has been a furor as Anzhi Makhachkala defender Christopher Samba, formerly of Blackburn Rovers, had a banana thrown at him. Understandably the Congolese player took great offence to this and made his disgust known. His club have acted to condemn the actions of Anzhi’s opponents that day, Lokomotiv Moscow.

However there has begun a tit-for-tat row where both clubs claim that the other side’s fans threw the offending banana. Not all fans are as hateful, but if Russia’s football federation were serious about stamping out racism in Russian soccer –which is not exactly hidden from public view, as demonstrated by banners unfurled by Lokomotiv Moscow fans when they learned that their Nigerian striker Peter Odemwingie was moving to West Brom –then they would be wading into this row with more fanfare, handing out sanctions and punishments.

It is not something that can be ignored. The player’s targeted right now will be losing self esteem and Russia is looking a far more dangerous place to go because of these incidents. Some players can maybe handle it, but it should not be acceptable. You only have to look at the reactions of Roberto Carlos to appreciate how damaging it is to be singled out for the color of your skin whilst doing your job.

Now the Reverend Jesse Jackson has piled in. He poured scorn on Russia’s soccer luminaries whilst speaking in Geneva. “racism in the field of soccer can’t be ignored because it is so visible,” he said to an assembled press. “These global events put the spotlight on how racism is viewed.” He went on to suggest that, while preparations for WC 2018 were ahead of schedule, racist issues had to be challenged now.

This is certainly a necessity because it is a social issue in one of the World’s most prominent powers. According to Human Rights First “In reality, Russia is somewhat of an exception when it comes to racism. The country is home to almost half of the world’s skinheads (according to some experts, there are as many as 100 thousand Russian skinheads), who have made the last decade their own. Racist and other violent attacks by neo-Nazi skinhead groups have been rising since 2004 by some 15 percent per year, a trend that was finally broken in 2009. According to Human Rights First’s partners in Moscow, the SOVA Center for Information and Analysis, in 2010, there were at least 37 racist murders, while some 368 people were injured in suspected racist attacks (compared with 71 murders in 2009 and 109 in 2008).”

Now that the World is watching, what will be done?