By Country / Russia
Russian Minister Says Can't Stop Xenophobia Alone
January 20, 2006
Sergei Lavrov (file photo) (ITAR-TASS)
Lavrov made the remarks today at a meeting in Moscow with Russia's chief rabbi, Berl Lazar.
Lavrov said the root causes of xenophobia are deeper than law-enforcement agencies can cope with. He said better education could help address the problem.
"This is a phenomenon [xenophobia] that requires the government, religious groups, and public organizations to pay more serious attention to the education of society," Lavrov said.
Lazar told Lavrov that he sees an emerging sentiment of hatred against Jews and other ethnic minorities in Russia.
The meeting comes after a knife-wielding Russian youth broke into a Moscow synagogue and wounded eight people on 11 January. The attack spurred Russia's Jewish community to call on authorities to do more to prevent such incidents from happening.
(ITAR-TASS)