As the war in Gaza continues to have global repercussions, a mob in the southern Russian city of Makhachkala stormed their local airport, after news spread that a flight from Tel Aviv was due to land. Beyond the heightened passions of Muslims around the world, this incident also demonstrates the particular challenges for multi-ethnic Russia.
Tensions in the predominantly Muslim regions of the North Caucasus had been rising in recent days. Last week, there was an arson attack on a Jewish centre under construction in Nalchik, capital of Kabardino-Balkaria. On Saturday, a rally in Cherkessk, capital of the Karachayevo-Cherkessia, demanded that residents of Israel be banned from entry into the region, while another in the Dagestani city of Derbent responded to rumours that refugees from Israel were being resettled in local hotels.
The Makhachkala incident was the worst yet. A mob of hundreds, chanting anti-Semitic slogans and waving Palestinian flags, stormed the airport, blocking the runway.
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