2006年VOA标准英语- Rise of Hard-Line Nationalists in Russia

By Bill Gasperini
Moscow
18 January 2006
 

A visitor undergoes security check at the Maryina Roscha synagogue in downtown Moscow (file photo)  
  
Russia has seen a groundswell of hate crimes in recent years. The most recent incident involving the stabbing of Jewish synagogue workers and worshippers with a hunting knife, is just the latest in a long series of crimes that analysts² say signals a dangerous rise of nationalism and ethnic³ hatred⁴ in the country.

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Last week, as Jewish worshippers gathered in a Moscow synagogue for evening prayers, a young man wielding⁵ a hunting knife stabbed eight people, seriously wounding five of them.

Analysts say the attack was connected to a violent trend whipped up by politicians exploiting nationalism to win votes.

 
Stabbing victim Mikhail Berlin adjusts his bandage while speaking at the Chabad Bronnaya synagogue in Moscow, Jan. 12, 2006 
  
One of the victims, Mikhail Berlin, describes the scene: "He threw the knife from one hand to the other in order to stab me, shouting that he was God's messenger and wanted to kill us all because we were 'dirty Jews,'" he said.

Police later found hate literature and maps of several Moscow synagogues in his apartment.

They have now charged 20-year-old Alexander Koptsev with attempted murder on ethnic or religious grounds.

The attack was widely condemned⁶ by Russia's political establishment.

But the incident is just the latest in a long series of crimes that analysts say signals a dangerous rise of nationalism and ethnic hatred in the country.

There were at least 27 killings⁷ attributed to nationalist or skinhead groups last year, according to the SOVA Analytical⁸ Information Center in Moscow. Eight of these were homeless people.

Russia's second city of St. Petersburg has gained a reputation for ethnic hate crimes, including the beating death of a 9-year-old girl from Tajikistan two years ago.

Foreign students have also been frequently attacked in the southern university town of Voronezh. These include the slaying⁹ in October of Alexander Ayala, who had arrived from Peru just the week before.

Police have been criticized for treating many such cases not as hate crimes but as acts of "hooliganism".

Under Russian law, "hooliganism" carries a much lighter¹⁰ sentence when the perpetrators are arrested, which is often not the case.

Alexei Malashenko, who is with the Carnegie Center in Moscow, says economic hardship and a sense of inferiority mostly among young Russians accounts for much of the anti-foreign sentiment.

"A big part of Russian society still continues to think that Russia, maybe in the future will become once again a certain superpower," he said. "Nationalism can be used for a kind of national idea, maybe turned against the West, it may perform a role or certain instrument for social consolidation¹¹."

Russia has long had political parties that espouse¹² nationalist ideology¹³.

The first of these was Vladimir Zhirinovsky's Liberal Democratic Party, which won more than 20 percent of the vote in parliamentary elections in 1993.

Zhirinovsky is known for statements many consider racist¹⁴ and anti-Semitic. He even stated once that Russia should "restore its former empire" by retaking control of places such as Finland and Alaska.

While his party still has a strong presence in parliament, it was joined there two years ago by another group known as Rodina, or "Motherland." Analysts say Rodina's strong showing was mostly the result of support it received from the Kremlin in order to weaken the Communists, long the major opposition¹⁵ party.

The party does appeal to many with its calls to curb¹⁶ the flow of migrant workers into the country, many from the southern Caucasus region or Central Asia.

But critics say there are signs politicians are "playing the nationalist card" in the run-up to parliamentary and presidential elections due in two years.

Moscow political analyst¹ Nikolai Petrov says this is not something new.

"The central power may be using this 'brown' threat as a means to transfer power in 2007-8 in much the same way they used it in 1996," Petrov says. "At that time, they made the case that the Communists were threatening a comeback, making former President Yeltsin's team look so much better in comparison."

While nationalism might fulfill¹⁷ a political need, Petrov says this can be dangerous as nationalist groups can be difficult to contain or control.

People in Moscow were startled in November by the sight of a huge crowd marching through downtown streets.

The demonstrators carried black flags and wore black clothing, many hiding their faces.

"Glory to Russia!" and "Russia for Russians!" they chanted, raising their arms in a gesture reminiscent of the Nazi¹⁸ salute¹⁹.

The march put a more public face on the rise of hard-line nationalist groups.

And after the recent synagogue attack, authorities appear to be taking the threat more seriously.

1 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

2 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

3 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

4 hatred   

n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨

参考例句：

• He looked at me with hatred in his eyes.他以憎恨的眼光望着我。
• The old man was seized with burning hatred for the fascists.老人对法西斯主义者充满了仇恨。

5 wielding   

手持着使用（武器、工具等）( wield的现在分词 )； 具有； 运用（权力）； 施加（影响）

参考例句：

• The rebels were wielding sticks of dynamite. 叛乱分子舞动着棒状炸药。
• He is wielding a knife. 他在挥舞着一把刀。

6 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

7 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

8 analytical   

adj.分析的；用分析法的

参考例句：

• I have an analytical approach to every survey.对每项调查我都采用分析方法。
• As a result,analytical data obtained by analysts were often in disagreement.结果各个分析家所得的分析数据常常不一致。

9 slaying   

杀戮。

参考例句：

• The man mimed the slaying of an enemy. 此人比手划脚地表演砍死一个敌人的情况。
• He is suspected of having been an accomplice in the slaying,butthey can't pin it on him. 他有嫌疑曾参与该杀人案，但他们找不到证据来指控他。

10 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

11 consolidation   

n.合并,巩固

参考例句：

• The denser population necessitates closer consolidation both for internal and external action. 住得日益稠密的居民，对内和对外都不得不更紧密地团结起来。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• The state ensures the consolidation and growth of the state economy. 国家保障国营经济的巩固和发展。 来自汉英非文学 - 中国宪法

12 espouse   

v.支持，赞成，嫁娶

参考例句：

• Today,astronomers espouse the theory that comets spawn the swarms.如今，天文学家们支持彗星产生了流星团的说法。
• Some teachers enthusiastically espouse the benefits to be gained from educational software.有些教师热烈赞同可以从教学软件中得到好处的观点。

13 ideology   

n.意识形态，(政治或社会的)思想意识

参考例句：

• The ideology has great influence in the world.这种思想体系在世界上有很大的影响。
• The ideal is to strike a medium between ideology and inspiration.我的理想是在意识思想和灵感鼓动之间找到一个折衷。

14 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

15 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

16 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

17 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

18 Nazi   

n.纳粹分子，adj.纳粹党的，纳粹的

参考例句：

• They declare the Nazi regime overthrown and sue for peace.他们宣布纳粹政权已被推翻，并出面求和。
• Nazi closes those war criminals inside their concentration camp.纳粹把那些战犯关在他们的集中营里。

19 salute   

vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮

参考例句：

• Merchant ships salute each other by dipping the flag.商船互相点旗致敬。
• The Japanese women salute the people with formal bows in welcome.这些日本妇女以正式的鞠躬向人们施礼以示欢迎。