“They are not our nation, these are not our people. If I were Russia, I would kill them with an axe.” said Firdavs, a migrant worker from Tajikistan, of the four suspects in the Moscow terror attack, all of whom are Tajik citizens. Other Tajiks expressed their condolences to the Russian people, saying they were also grieving.
Russia is currently not the best place for migrant workers from Central Asia. They keep the streets clean, store goods and build buildings. They get little money, but they get more money than in their homeland.
In addition, they also face uncertainty, with unregistered migrants at risk of deportation. Some places do not want to accommodate them because of their origin. Tajiks are also afraid of possible conscription into the Russian army.
And after the terrorist attack in the Crosus City Hall concert hall, their fears grew even more. “We want to work and live normally,” said Firdavs.
Fatima, a student from Tajikistan, testified that she so far she has not encountered any signs of hostility after the terrorist attack. “When it happened, I thought something was going to change, but it was okay,” she stated.
“I mean, the rest of the Tajiks are not to blame. We are also grieving and it was very scary for us.” Fatima added.
“People are calling and wishing me dead”
However, the independent Russian media Meduza described a different experience. According to him, the people of Central Asia are facing a new wave of hatred and aggression. For example, some Russian citizens started refusing to ride with taxi drivers from Tajikistan. And representatives of the Tajik community advised members of the diaspora to avoid night-time outings and mass events for safety reasons. In addition, the barber shop where one of the alleged terrorists worked was flooded with threats.
Calls to attack the store or to attack employees’ homes appeared on the Telegram social network. “The manager and owner are getting threatening phone calls and people are leaving bad ratings and writing horrible reviews,” it says in a post on the VKontakte Telegram account.
“People are calling and wishing me dead. I’m pregnant and I don’t know what to do. I’m afraid to go out” said the director of the barber shop, Jamina Safijevová.
In Yekaterinburg, according to local news outlet It’s My City, police began conducting routine checks on men with “Asian features” and the administration of at least one shopping center asked its tenants for information about store employees from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan.
In addition, some taxi users refuse to ride in vehicles with drivers from Tajikistan. Telegram channels and social media sites have posted screenshots of the taxi app in which customers tell their assigned drivers to cancel the ride if they are from Tajikistan. “Hello, if you are Tajik, please cancel your order, I am not coming with you,” reads one message.
At the same time, according to the channel, some employers asked workers from Tajikistan to provide them with updated personal data, including passport and residence data.
