Russians Demand a Strong Hand(ReactionTo terror is demandfor strong leader

[papau]

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http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-russia8sep08.story
THE WORLD
Russians Demand a Strong Hand
Tens of thousands of people in Moscow turn out during national mourning for school hostages. Many back tough security measures.
By David Holley and Kim Murphy
Times Staff Writers

September 8, 2004

MOSCOW — About 130,000 people packed a square near the Kremlin on Tuesday, with tens of thousands more turned away, in an emotional rally to express revulsion against terrorism and backing for tougher security measures.

Huge banners and hand-held placards expressed the crowd's sentiments: "We Will Not Go Down on Our Knees Before Scum" and "We Will Defeat the Enemy."

Energized by a nation's sorrow for the 335 victims who died in last week's school hostage seizure in the southern Russian town of Beslan, the officially sanctioned rally carried a strong tone of support for Russian President Vladimir V. Putin and his tough stance on terrorism. It also had an undercurrent of racism against people from predominantly Muslim republics in Russia's Caucasus region, with some participants saying darker-skinned people should be driven out of Moscow.

The rally was held as part of two days of nationwide mourning, while residents of Beslan continued burying their dead, seeking to identify disfigured bodies and frantically searching for missing relatives.

"Our hearts brought us here," said Galina Akhmedova, 49, a Moscow city government employee given time off to attend. "We can't just go out and fight somebody, but we can hope the entire country and the entire world will hear that we are against terror, and maybe the government will take more resolute measures."<snip>

[el_gato]

1. Putin needed a justification to get into the game IMHO

now it's time to stoke up fear to justify any action they want to take

[maxsolomon]

2. when you oppress you cause what you fear.

it takes a saddam/stalin/franco/latin american death squad level of state terror to suppress 'terrorism', and it looks like russia is willing to go there more than we are. for now.

but carpet bombing checnya hasn't worked. what now, a pogrom? don't forget the ingushetians; they're muslim too.

[atreides1]

3. But

Pogroms are an old Russian tradition, and it hasn't been that long since Russia was using these tactics. It won't take them long to
get use to the old ways.