The civic movement “For a tolerant Crimea” has directed an appeal to the Simferopol Mayor and Deputies expressing concern over discrimination against Muslim and other religious communities in the city

The behaviour is classified under the articles for hooliganism and for violations of equal rights on the basis of race, nationality or religion, which involve quite serious legal consequences

On 23 January they held a picket and prayer service in the place where the Simferopol City Council had previously given permission to build the Soborna Mosque. At one of the last sessions, the Council’s deputies reversed this decision

Perhaps for the first time in Ukraine those circulating anti-Semitic material are facing charges under Article 161 § 2 of the Criminal Code “Infringement of equal rights on the basis of racial or ethnic identity or attitude to religion”

The court found the 43-year-old guilty of distributing material with calls to change the borders of the country and undermine the order established by the Ukrainian Constitution, and aimed at inciting ethnic and religious enmity

One senses that for some people the Charter and situation in Ukraine are confined to a virtual realm in which contact with reality is of absolutely no importance. A journey by public transport in Kyiv for example, will assuage all concerns about the threatened position of the Russian language

Neither media outlets nor the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs are entitled to make very serious allegations of criminally liable offences without some basic checks. These must involve ascertaining at very least whether the person in question was anywhere near the place where the criminal offence was alleged to have occurred

“Kyiv Dynamo’s” final match before the winter break has been clouded by thoroughly unacceptable behaviour by its fans, however it is not perhaps entirely clear how consciously anti-Semitic the culprits are

Improper utterances in the press, ethnic and religious insults are not only the source of negative emotions, but can in the end lead to outbursts of violence. Such problems are particularly acute in the Crimea where relations between the Slavonic majority and repatriated Crimean Tatars sometimes spill out into conflict

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has introduced the position of Special Ambassador on Combating Racism, Xenophobia and Discrimination and appointed Oleksandr Horin to the post

Any xenophobic behaviour must be stopped. However, rather than making global statements which are too vague to be checked or refuted, we need to address the issues, pool our resources and ensure that problems emerging do not get out of hand

The act of vandalism on Mount Hoverli may prompt a return to the use of bans on “undesirable individuals” between Ukraine and Russia

The Eurasian Youth Union raised its ugly head in Ukraine on Friday, with the desecration of Ukrainian State emblems on Mount Hoverli in the Ivano-Frankivsk region. After photographing their “heroic deeds” , the three culprits sped out of the country in the direction of Russia

Investigations are continuing into this foul and for Ukraine unprecedented incident during which a Nazi banner was unfurled in Kyiv

A roundtable run by the Committee of Voters of Ukraine has called on political factions to stop using the language issue, and others, as part of their election campaigning

While the head of the lyceum said that the picketers did not disturb lessons, the head of the civic organizations “Ukrainian Home” believes that the picket demanding the school’s closure is jeopardizing regional security and that this is just one element of a dangerous trend

Around 40 supporters of Valery Kaurov’s Yedinoye Otechestvo [Common Fatherland] are believed to have beaten up the picketers, with four people hospitalized, and some of the injured including women

On Sunday morning 2 September members of a peaceful picket against the restoration of a monument to Catherine the Great were attacked by supporters of Valery Kaurov “Common Fatherland” movement.. Several picketers were hospitalized.

This was the conclusion reached by participants in a roundtable on the role of the media in overcoming negative ethnic stereotypes in a border area. The discussion took place on 12 June in Chernivtsi, the capital of Bukovyna and an area where many nationalities live side by side

The Agency acknowledged steps taken by the Government to address the problem however urged action to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice