On 29 October, hundreds of men gathered at Makhachkala airport in Dagestan, a diverse republic in Russia’s North Caucasus, to target Jewish passengers arriving from Tel Aviv. Footage of the incident, featuring protesters waving Palestinian flags, making antisemitic chants and surrounding airplanes, has divided public opinion in Dagestan.
For many, these actions – as well as other recent antisemitic protests in Dagestan and elsewhere in the North Caucasus – are criminal, stupid and shameful. Personally, I was appalled at the aggression and cruelty on display. Other Dagestanis think these actions are the result of the local authorities’ ban on protests expressing solidarity with Palestine.
But there’s also a sense of déjà vu.
