RUSSIA: Harsh measures to stem ethnic campus clashes

Clashes between students of various nationalities have become so frequent and violent in Russia that the government has decided to expel those involved and to screen those applying to study in Moscow who come from non-Russian groups inside the Russian Federation or abroad, writes Paul Goble in Georgian Daily.


Such plans are the product of a series of expert meetings over the last several months and reflect the way in which ethnic conflicts are now involving not just street battles between Russian workers and unemployed Gastarbeiters but also clashes among members of more elite groups of both.

According to a report in Izvestiya, post-secondary schools will gain broader powers to expel students, and applicants will be screened by a special "filtration" commission the authorities plan to create. Moreover, government plans to ask administrators at institutions to organise special "operational groups of students" who will react quickly to any conflicts that arise between members of different national groups and prevent stop them getting out of hand.
Full report on the Georgian Daily site