Explosion at McDonald's in St. Petersburg, Russia
Unfortunately, I still have problems with my comments. If you have anything to add, please post in the comments section of my livejournal page. It's the exact same entry, but I would love to hear any feedback or differing opinions.
There was an explosion, presumably a bomb, at a downtown McDonald's in St. Petersburg. It's on the South end of the main street, Nevsky Prospect, and about 300 yards from the hotel where I'm currently staying. It's an extremely popular location, and I've been there numerous times over my 2.5 years in this city. So far the reports state that six people were injured, and nobody killed. While there is certainly damage to the interior, it's doesn't seem like a very big explosion. As such, I don't think it was Chechens. They use much more sophisticated explosives. It was probably planted by some of the xenophobic skinheads who unfortunately populate the city.
One of the darker secrets of St. Petersburg is that about one foreigner is killed a month. Not rich Westerners, but usually Africans or Asians. They know this, and don't usually go out alone, especially after nightfall. In addition to one being killed, several are usually beat up pretty badly per month. I met an African student once had a scar on his face from being beaten in broad daylight on Nevsky, right in the center of the most popular part of town. I've written about similar experiences before.
Though the skinheads don't just limit themselves to beating dark-skinned foreigners. A little over a year ago they killed a young anti-fascist activist, again, right in the center of town. I don't really know what to call them, because skinhead presumes that they all have shaved heads, which they don't. Moreover, many young Russians have that haircut who are not extremists. I'd call them nationalists, but most Russians (like most Americans), would consider themselves "nationalists." I suppose the best current political term would be "ultra-nationalists."
I've had my own run-in with them several times. I lived in a rather rough area of town for a year and a half, and learned very quickly how to look like a Russian, complete with angry scowl. If I ever had any problems walking home at night, I was very far from the metro, and pretty much on my own. Once, however, a friend was visiting me and we were on the bus in my neck of the woods. We were speaking English, not yelling, but loud enough that everyone was aware. The guy in front of us turned around rather angrily and said "Are you Moldovan?!" It's better that they think I'm Moldovan, so I responded "yeah, I've lived in Chisinau. So what?" He started to speak again, but our stop was approaching, so my friend and I headed towards the door. While standing near it, another guy grabbed my arm, and tried to pull me towards him as he also asked if I was Moldovan. I broke away and stepped out of the bus.
Russians have a love-hate relationship with the West, and when you see a drunk Russian, you never know which you're going to get. I was once kissed on the cheek by a drunk middle-aged man in who I had just met and kept yelling out "America, friends!" Surprisingly, I've found that the older the person the more accepting they are of Americans. It's the young drunks that I want least to find out.
In any case, whenever a foreigner gets beat or killed by ultra-nationalists, it's always labeled by the police as "Hooliganism." As if killing a Tajik child was somehow the equivalent of drunk soccer fans beating on each other. Likewise with this bombing, it was called "hooliganism." Beyond the amateur explosives, Chechens have little to gain from targeting a distinctly Western target. Their fight is with the Russian Federation, not the West. Yes, they are linked into international jihadi movements, but they're not about to advertise that on CNN. Instead, this target is a much better fit for groups who want to expel the foreign influence into Russia. Ironically, at any given point there are far more Russians in McDonald's than foreigners. So these ultra-nationalists are really only targeting Russians. Though since these are obviously traitors, I'm sure that suits them just fine.
The windows are shattered, but still in place.
There were numerous uniformed personnel inside the building. The FSB is one of the successor organizations to the KGB, think of it as the Russian FBI. It's name means "Federal Security Service."
The city police are there as well.
There was an explosion, presumably a bomb, at a downtown McDonald's in St. Petersburg. It's on the South end of the main street, Nevsky Prospect, and about 300 yards from the hotel where I'm currently staying. It's an extremely popular location, and I've been there numerous times over my 2.5 years in this city. So far the reports state that six people were injured, and nobody killed. While there is certainly damage to the interior, it's doesn't seem like a very big explosion. As such, I don't think it was Chechens. They use much more sophisticated explosives. It was probably planted by some of the xenophobic skinheads who unfortunately populate the city.
One of the darker secrets of St. Petersburg is that about one foreigner is killed a month. Not rich Westerners, but usually Africans or Asians. They know this, and don't usually go out alone, especially after nightfall. In addition to one being killed, several are usually beat up pretty badly per month. I met an African student once had a scar on his face from being beaten in broad daylight on Nevsky, right in the center of the most popular part of town. I've written about similar experiences before.
Though the skinheads don't just limit themselves to beating dark-skinned foreigners. A little over a year ago they killed a young anti-fascist activist, again, right in the center of town. I don't really know what to call them, because skinhead presumes that they all have shaved heads, which they don't. Moreover, many young Russians have that haircut who are not extremists. I'd call them nationalists, but most Russians (like most Americans), would consider themselves "nationalists." I suppose the best current political term would be "ultra-nationalists."
I've had my own run-in with them several times. I lived in a rather rough area of town for a year and a half, and learned very quickly how to look like a Russian, complete with angry scowl. If I ever had any problems walking home at night, I was very far from the metro, and pretty much on my own. Once, however, a friend was visiting me and we were on the bus in my neck of the woods. We were speaking English, not yelling, but loud enough that everyone was aware. The guy in front of us turned around rather angrily and said "Are you Moldovan?!" It's better that they think I'm Moldovan, so I responded "yeah, I've lived in Chisinau. So what?" He started to speak again, but our stop was approaching, so my friend and I headed towards the door. While standing near it, another guy grabbed my arm, and tried to pull me towards him as he also asked if I was Moldovan. I broke away and stepped out of the bus.
Russians have a love-hate relationship with the West, and when you see a drunk Russian, you never know which you're going to get. I was once kissed on the cheek by a drunk middle-aged man in who I had just met and kept yelling out "America, friends!" Surprisingly, I've found that the older the person the more accepting they are of Americans. It's the young drunks that I want least to find out.
In any case, whenever a foreigner gets beat or killed by ultra-nationalists, it's always labeled by the police as "Hooliganism." As if killing a Tajik child was somehow the equivalent of drunk soccer fans beating on each other. Likewise with this bombing, it was called "hooliganism." Beyond the amateur explosives, Chechens have little to gain from targeting a distinctly Western target. Their fight is with the Russian Federation, not the West. Yes, they are linked into international jihadi movements, but they're not about to advertise that on CNN. Instead, this target is a much better fit for groups who want to expel the foreign influence into Russia. Ironically, at any given point there are far more Russians in McDonald's than foreigners. So these ultra-nationalists are really only targeting Russians. Though since these are obviously traitors, I'm sure that suits them just fine.
The windows are shattered, but still in place.
There were numerous uniformed personnel inside the building. The FSB is one of the successor organizations to the KGB, think of it as the Russian FBI. It's name means "Federal Security Service."
The city police are there as well.