International
Racial violence erupts in north-west Russia
HUNDREDS of people looted shops and burned a restaurant belonging to Caucasus businessmen at the weekend in an outbreak of racial violence in northwestern Russia triggered by the recent killing of two locals.
Special police were sent into the town of Kondopoga in Karelia - a town near the Finnish border - to quell a riot sparked by a rally of up to 2,000 locals demanding the eviction of all Caucasus-born traders.
Hundreds of people - many drunk - marched through the town and looted shops held by Caucasus businessmen. They later burned down a restaurant where the two locals were killed in a brawl last week. The deaths are blamed on Caucasus natives.
Looting continued until police regained control early on Sunday morning, said independent radio Ekho Moskvy.
There were no reports on casualties after the riot. More than 100 looters were detained.
Ekho Moskvy said Kondopoga was still tense, while the local council was awaiting a response from Karelia's parliament to its demand to officially evict all Caucasus residents from the town.
Outbursts of racial violence are not uncommon in Russia where xenophobia has flourished since the collapse of communism.
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Last updated: 03-Sep-06 00:24 BST
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