The Russian Jewish Congress (RJC) has voiced alarm about Russian police "inaction" following two attacks on a Jewish cultural center in the city of Tula timed to coincide with World War II commemorations. In a statement, the RJC said extreme-right activists had daubed swastikas and other graffiti on the cultural center in Tula, about 100 miles south of Moscow, on the eve of Russia's annual Victory Day commemorations marking the defeat of Nazi Germany. After police failed to react, three people again tried to attack the center on 11 May but were fought off by employees.
After the first incident, "no criminal case was opened. Moreover, rather than trying to find the vandals, law enforcement agencies tried to conceal information about the incident," the RJC stated. "No incident in Russia aimed at inciting ethnic discord should remain unpunished," the statement said. Russia has seen a proliferation of anti-Semitic and nationalist groups since the 1991 Soviet collapse.
