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2023 antisemitic riots in the North Caucasus
Part of antisemitism during the Israel–Hamas war and antisemitism in Russia
Uytash Airport, where antisemitic rioters gathered
Location	Northern Caucasus regions, Russia
Date	28 and 29 October 2023
Attack type	Pogrom
Injured	20 (on 29 October 2023)
Motive	Israel–Hamas war Antisemitism Islamic radicalism

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Towards the end of October 2023, several violent antisemitic riots occurred in the North Caucasus region of Russia. A majority of the region's population is Muslim. The riots occurred during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, a conflict which caused an increase in antisemitic incidents in various parts of the world.

Background

A few days before the events at Makhachkala Airport, local Telegram channels circulated calls to participate in the gathering at the airport. Messages about "refugees from Israel" arriving in Dagestan were published by the "Morning Dagestan" Telegram channel, which was launched by Russian-Ukrainian politician Ilya Ponomarev. Previously, the same Telegram channel organized the 2022 North Caucasian protests.

Timeline

28 October

Khasavyurt

Residents of Khasavyurt, Dagestan, gathered near the Flamingo Hotel after reports that refugees from Israel were being accommodated there. The protesters demanded that all hotel residents come to the windows to look at them. When the guests did not do this, stones were thrown into the building. Those gathered shouted "Allahu Akbar" and demanded to check the basements and let them into the hotel. Police arrived and allowed protesters to check the hotel to make sure it was "Jew-free". After this, a message was posted outside the hotel that Jews were prohibited from entering.

Cherkessk

An antisemitic rally was held in Cherkessk, the capital of Karachay-Cherkessia, demanding "the eviction of ethnic Jews".

29 October

Nalchik

In Nalchik, the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria, a local Jewish religious national-cultural community center under construction was set on fire, with the attackers writing "death to the Yahuds" on its wall.

Makhachkala Airport

A mob stormed Uytash Airport near Makhachkala, Dagestan, after the arrival of a Red Wings flight from Tel Aviv. Messages spread on Telegram that a direct flight from Israel was arriving in Dagestan, with calls to come to the airport and prevent the plane from landing. While Russian-language news website Meduza said that the crowd was made up of "local residents," Israeli Channel 12 reported that most of the people in the crowd were Palestinian expatriates.

As indicated on the airport website, the plane from Tel Aviv landed at 19:17 local time. After this, dozens of protesters stormed the airport and reached the runway, some of whom, according to Izvestia, managed to climb up onto the plane's wings. 20 people were injured, among them nine police officers, of whom two were injured seriously. The passengers on the plane were unharmed. 150 suspects were identified, while 60 were detained. The Russian civilian aviation agency Rosaviatsia announced the airport's closure tentatively until 6 November, but it re-opened on 30 October. By the evening of that day, the number of detained increased to 83. On 5 November, the number of detained was reported to be 201, with 155 of them charged.

Reactions

Domestic

The head of Dagestan, Sergey Melikov, called the incident a gross violation of the law, although Dagestanis "sympathize with the suffering of the victims of the actions of unrighteous people and politicians and pray for peace in Palestine". Ovadia Isakov, the rabbi of Derbent, reportedly home to the largest Jewish population in Dagestan, was quoted as saying "The situation in Dagestan is very dire,” and that “The community is very frightened ... there is no place to run.”

Regional leaders from two other regions of the North Caucasus called for calm. The main Mufti of Dagestan made a similar appeal. The head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov ordered the Interior Ministry and the National Guard to detain would-be demonstrators in the republic and authorized them to open fire.

Russian war correspondent Alexander Kots suggested that "those who want to kill Jews should go to Gaza or Kyiv. I know the address of one, I can tell you: Bankova, 11".

President Vladimir Putin ordered a meeting of his top security officials, while his spokesperson Dmitry Peskov blamed the unrest on "outside interference". Putin blamed Ukraine for being a main influence for the antisemitism.

Due to concerns over the sensitive nature of their cases, the trials of 140 suspected participants in the riots were moved to Krasnodar and Stavropol Krais. In November 2023, a court in Dagestan sentenced 15 participants in the airport attack to between two and ten days' imprisonment, while in August 2024, a court in Armavir sentenced five people to up to nine years' imprisonment for their role in the riots.

International

US presidential spokesperson Adrienne Watson condemned the riots. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also condemned the events as "deeply disturbing". Stefan de Keersmaecker, a spokesperson for the European Commission, also condemned the attacks.

The Israeli government called on Russian authorities to protect Israelis and Jews in Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is of Jewish descent, blamed Russia's "widespread culture of hatred towards other peoples, which is propagated by state television, experts and authorities", for the events.

Human Rights Watch characterized the Russian response as inadequate, stating that "instead of cracking down on critics, authorities should focus efforts on preventing xenophobic attacks".

See also

• Israel–Hamas war protests
• Antisemitism during the Israel–Hamas war
• Antisemitism in Russia
• Violent incidents in reaction to the Israel–Hamas war
• History of the Jews in Makhachkala
• 2024 Dagestan attack

References

1. Osborn, Andrew; Lebedev, Filipp; Osborn, Andrew (30 October 2023). "Putin blames the West, Ukraine after mob storms Russian airport to 'catch' Jews". Reuters. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
2. Macaskill, Andrew; Shirbon, Estelle (31 October 2023). "Open hatred of Jews surges globally, inflamed by Gaza war". Reuters. Archived from the original on 31 October 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
3. "В Махачкале толпа людей прорвалась на взлетное поле аэропорта — когда прибыл рейс из Тель-Авива Они выкрикивали антисемитские лозунги и пытались штурмовать самолет" [In Makhachkala, a crowd of people broke onto the airport tarmac — when the flight from Tel Aviv arrived, they shouted anti-Semitic slogans and tried to storm the plane]. Meduza (in Russian). 29 October 2023. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
4. Seddon, Max; Ivanova, Polina (30 October 2023). "Russian police arrest 60 people over Dagestan airport riot". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
5. "Акция в Махачкале завершилась после жестких задержаний протестующих" [The rally in Makhachkala ended after harsh arrests of protesters]. Caucasian Knot. 25 September 2022. Archived from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
6. Sotnikov, Daniil (29 October 2023). "В Дагестане толпа пришла к отелю из‑за слухов о евреях в нем" [In Dagestan, a crowd came to a hotel because of rumors about Jews there]. DW News (in Russian). Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
7. ^ "В иудейской общине Дагестана не исключили эвакуацию евреев из республики на фоне антисемитских акций" [The Jewish community of Dagestan has not ruled out the evacuation of Jews from the republic amid anti-Semitic actions]. Mediazona (in Russian). 29 October 2023. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
8. Gema, Mikhail (29 October 2023). "Поджог культурного центра и массовые митинги: в России призывают изгнать евреев из страны" [Arson of a cultural center and mass rallies: in Russia, there are calls to expel Jews from the country]. 24 Kanal (in Russian). Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
9. ^ "В аэропорту Махачкалы из-за прилета рейса из Тель-Авива собрались сотни людей. Они проверяют машины, выезжающие с территории" [Hundreds of people gathered at Makhachkala airport due to the arrival of a flight from Tel Aviv. They check cars leaving the area]. Meduza (in Russian). 29 October 2023. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
10. "Flight from Israel to Russia's Dagestan diverts as pro-Palestinian mob storms terminal". The Times of Israel. 29 October 2023. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
11. "Anti-Israeli Mob Storms Airport in Russia's Dagestan". The Moscow Times. 29 October 2023. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
12. "Anti-Israel mob storms Dagestan airport in Russia". BBC News. 29 October 2023. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
13. Goroshilova, Alexandra (30 October 2023). "МВД установило 150 активных участников беспорядков в аэропорту Махачкалы" [The Ministry of Internal Affairs identified 150 active participants in the riots at Makhachkala airport]. Kommersant (in Russian). Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
14. Roth, Andrew (29 October 2023). "Mob storms Dagestan airport in search of Jewish passengers from Israel". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
15. ^ "Putin calls meeting after mob storms airport in Dagestan looking for Israelis on plane from Tel Aviv". Associated Press. 30 October 2023. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
16. Kislov, Alexander (30 October 2023). "Аэропорт Махачкалы возобновил прием и отправку рейсов" [Makhachkala Airport resumed receiving and sending flights]. Kommersant (in Russian). Archived from the original on 4 November 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
17. Balasyan, Lusine (30 October 2023). "МВД сообщило о задержании 83 участников беспорядков в аэропорту Махачкалы" [The Ministry of Internal Affairs announced the detention of 83 riot participants at Makhachkala airport]. Kommersant (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2 June 2024. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
18. "МВД: после беспорядков в аэропорту Махачкалы задержан 201 человек" [Ministry of Internal Affairs: 201 people detained after riots at Makhachkala airport]. Коmmersant (in Russian). 5 November 2023. Archived from the original on 23 June 2024. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
19. ^ "Russian security forces remove pro-Palestinian protesters from Dagestan airport". Reuters. 30 October 2023. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
20. ^ "Russia: Inadequate Response to Antisemitism in North Caucasus". Human Rights Watch. 9 November 2023. Archived from the original on 1 May 2024. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
21. "Chechnya's Kadyrov Orders Police to Shoot Protesters Amid Anti-Israeli Unrest". The Moscow Times. 31 October 2023. Archived from the original on 31 October 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
22. "Беспорядки в аэропорту Махачкалы — из-за прибытия рейса из Тель-Авива Больше 20 человек пострадали" [Riots at Makhachkala airport — due to the arrival of a flight from Tel Aviv, more than 20 people were injured]. Meduza (in Russian). 29 October 2023. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
23. Sauer, Pjotr; Roth, Andrew (30 October 2023). "Russia blames Ukraine for antisemitic riot at airport in Dagestan". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 31 October 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
24. "Russian Court Jails 5 More Dagestan Airport Rioters". The Moscow Times. 23 August 2024. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
25. "Dagestan: Mob storms Russian airport in search of Jews". BBC News. 29 October 2023. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
26. ^ "European Commission condemns anti-Semitic pogroms in Dagestan". Ukrainska Pravda. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.

• 2023 in Judaism
• Anti-Israeli sentiment in Europe
• Anti-Jewish pogroms in Russia
• History of Makhachkala
• History of the North Caucasus
• Israel–Hamas war protests
• Israel–Russia relations
• October 2023 events in Russia
• Riots and civil disorder in Russia