The war does not spare Moscow from having to deal with nightlife and youth violence: in the latest police raid in the nightlife centre, around 200 young people were stopped, including minors, sparking the anger of relatives and the indignation of some opposition bodies, who accuse the police of mistreatment and “insistent pressure” for recruitment into the army.
The official statement from the authorities speaks of “preventive measures to maintain order and combat crime” and “prevent the consumption of alcohol in public”, in the heart of the capital, the area of Kitay-gorod which attracts thousands of people on Saturday evenings with its bars and clubs. Those arrested were taken to two police stations for checks: according to the opposition website Meduza, which cites testimonies from young people, access to water and toilets was denied in the police vans, some were beaten. Parents were not allowed to see those arrested: dozens gathered – as the videos show – in front of the police stations as evening fell. At least 17 of those arrested were given administrative sanctions for consuming alcohol, while other adults “were pressured” to sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense, although it is not clear whether they accepted.
From the galaxy of Russian bloggers it emerges that the sensational raid is only the latest conducted in the neighborhood, in particular near Gorka park which is one of the main meeting places. The police always use a heavy hand, with truncheon blows and teasers, so much so that many young people are now “used” to climbing over the railings to escape from the park when the police cars arrive. The raids are numerous, at least 6 since the beginning of the year: it all started last March, after a huge brawl near a synagogue, where a group of boys wearing the traditional kippah were literally attacked by a gang of apparently ultra-nationalist young people. One story, however, some bloggers point out, which is to be linked to xenophobia and racism, to which the Gorka kids are probably foreign.