Skinhead thugs ‘get licence to kill’ as racism runs riot in former USSR - [Sunday Herald]

THE skinheads struck when Liana Sisoko, a nine-year-old schoolgirl of African origin, was about to ring the doorbell of her flat in St Petersburg. The two youths came at her from behind and in a brief frenzied attack sliced her throat, cut her tongue and left her young face covered in blood and gashes. Before they ran off they daubed a nearby wall with a swastika and spray-painted a bold claim of responsibility: “Skinheads … we did it.” Liana was lucky – she survived last weekend’s attack. But the incident, along with three controversial court verdicts in the past week, has reminded Russia that its battle to stamp out racist violence is in its infancy and that the problem is as severe as ever. In recent years, Russian politicians up to and including President Vladimir Putin have become adept at condemning such assaults. But their words seem to be having little effect. Last year, 28 people across Russia were killed in racist attacks and 366 were injured, according to Sova, an organisation that monitors extremist activity.