On Sunday evening, a mob stormed an airport in the Russian region of Dagestan, leading to arrests, injuries, and concerns for the safety of the Jewish community.
The incident, characterized by anti-Semitic chants and actions, has sparked outrage and condemnation from both local and international authorities.
The mob’s rampage at the Makhachkala airport in Dagestan resulted in the arrest of sixty individuals, with twenty people wounded during the unrest. Disturbing footage captured the chaotic scene as the crowd rushed the runway, surrounded a plane, and waved Palestinian flags while chanting “Allahu akbar.”
Some airline employees were seen desperately urging departing passengers to return to the plane for safety as the mob approached. Local media reported that the protesters also stopped cars outside the airport, demanding to see identity documents.
Following the incident, ten people were hospitalized, and nine police officers were injured. Russian authorities have opened a criminal case and have identified 150 of the protesters involved in the “mass disturbance.”
While the passengers on the flight from Israel were unharmed, the situation raised significant concerns about the safety of the Jewish community in Dagestan.
The United States, through its presidential spokesperson Adrienne Watson, strongly condemned the incident, describing it as “antisemitic protests in Dagestan.” The White House National Security Council Spokesperson emphasized that the United States stands firmly with the global Jewish community, denouncing any form of antisemitism.
The incident has drawn attention to the alarming rise of antisemitism worldwide.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov attributed the incident to “outside interference, including information influence.” However, no further details were provided, leaving room for speculation regarding the underlying causes of the mob’s actions.
The anti-Jewish scenes witnessed at the airport were not isolated incidents in the North Caucasus region. Before this incident, crowds had gathered outside a hotel in the Dagestani city of Khasavyurt, and a Jewish center in Nalchik, a nearby area, was set ablaze with the phrase “death to Jews” spray-painted on the building.
The incident has understandably raised significant concerns for the approximately 800 Jewish families residing in Dagestan. Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, who is the president of the Conference of European Rabbis, expressed the global Jewish community’s worry about the situation, emphasizing the need to protect the thousands of Jews living in Dagestan.
The mob’s violent storming of the airport in Dagestan has shocked and appalled both local and international communities. Its anti-Semitic nature and the subsequent incidents in the region have raised serious concerns for the safety of the Jewish community in Dagestan.
Authorities must address these issues promptly and take adequate measures to ensure the protection of all citizens, regardless of their religious or ethnic background.
