Soviet Group Charged as Anti-Semitic

Prosecutors have launched criminal proceedings against Pamyat, a Russian nationalist group that has been accused of anti-Semitic actions, a newspaper reported today.

Jewish groups have been demanding for years that Pamyat, a loosely knit organization with affiliates nationwide, be prosecuted for provocations against Jews.

Literaturnaya Gazeta, a literary weekly, said Moscow prosecutors are pursuing charges against Pamyat of “inciting national and racial hatred and strife.” According to the newspaper, Pamyat was charged because of a statement published in another newspaper calling for a campaign to “de-Zionize” the country.

Many of the thousands of Soviet Jews emigrating to the West say they are doing so in part because of a reported rise in anti-Semitism. The Soviet press has responded to the reports recently by carrying statements from government agencies condemning people who fan inter-ethnic strife and promising to investigate.