The Team

---

Roy Ibonga moved to Bryansk from the DR of Congo in the year 2017

The Black lives matter (BLM) protest have not said swept across Russia , as elsewhere, But The People of color that live there, from The Bbc , about the casual discrimination they experience on a daily basis.

There are an estimated tens of thousands of people of color living in Russia - including Russian-born people of mixed origin and people from African and Caribbean countries who work or study in Russia .

Here are some of their stories are.

Roy Ibonga, a business administration student, 21

Recently, a video of a Taxi Driver refuse to take you, a Black Man in his cabin waves made on The Internet in Russia .

the person left standing on the curb of the 21-year-old Roy Ibonga was a Congolese man to the study of Economics, Bryansk State University.

In his video, the Social Media is published, can not hear The Driver say "If I like a person that can give you a ride. It is my car". When Roy asks him bluntly: "Are you a racist?" The Driver replies: "Yes, of course. "

Later, the Yandex Taxi companies, The Russian equivalent of Uber, she apologized to Roy.

"Thank You , that you find a way to tell us about this intolerable behavior. I am very sad that it happened," wrote a Customer Service rep.

According to press reports, The Driver was released on the same day. The Company said, "rude or racist drivers have No Place in the case of Yandex-Taxi ".

Roy wrote about The Incident on Instagram. Some People expressed their support, But others wrote racist insults. Later, Roy closed his account. Some Social Media users criticized Yandex, firing the Taxi Driver and even called for a boycott.

'Once' you would not let me in a cafe'

Roy lives in Bryansk, a town 380km (236 miles) South of Moscow, where he is the only African students, But all of them, he says, similar to the experience of racist treatment.

"The Incident with the Taxi , it happens a lot. I just decided to show a video This Time to The People . It is always the same. It happened to My Friends too, But you can't not talk about it, because they speak Russian.

"Once in the past year, they wouldn't let me in a cafe. The guard said to me, 'you can't come, because lately some of the African guys came, it was a struggle". What does that have to do with me? I asked. But he did not let me. I even called The Manager , But they just told me I was allowed in.

"Maybe it's because there are not many of us and we were not here for a long time, so people are simply not with us. There is a Big Difference between Bryansk and Moscow. Moscow is like a different country. I never had the feeling of discrimination. "

He Said he had seen "never, police beat up a Black person in Russia ," and "I had still never do anything with The Police here".

"If people are racist to me, I just walk. There is no point aggressive. The People will not understand and will not change. I try to ignore it. It makes you stressed. You start to think, 'Why was I born Black ?'

"I was born in the democratic Republic of the Congo, and lived my whole life there. I've only racism found that when I came to Russia in the year 2017. I find it very hurtful. You step outside and everyone looks at you As If you're human. It is really offensive. "

Isabel Kastilio, marketing manager, 27, Isabel dreamed of, to walk down The Street without people

staring at her"I live in Moscow, But went to University in St. Petersburg, and I was born in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk [in Russian Far East ]. "

Isabel says she was treated by other children in the school, and reminded every single day that your skin color is different.

"It was very hard to put up with Every Day , even if I went to one of The Best schools in the city, specializing in mathematics and physics. I couldn't stand up for me. I didn't tell my parents about it. My Big Brother protected me in the school. Sometimes he had to get in fights for me. "

Isabel dreamed of moving from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk to a place where you would be able to go, the road will be shut down, without The People looking at her. Both she and her Dominican dad were staring routine.

"When I was moved to St Petersburg, everything was so much better, I started to forget that I look different. But later, when I started work and needed to rent an apartment, I felt the racism again. "

'Slavs only'

It was particularly bad in Moscow, says Isabel . All rental ads said, "Slavs only".

"If the landlord my name heard on The Phone , even though I had a permit To Live in Moscow, you didn't want to believe that I could pay the rent. I had to arrange to meet you In Person , so you could see, I was a normal person with a normal job and would not turn your apartment into a drug den.

"whenever I meet New People , once you relax, you start with the jokes. Either I ignore you or to the jokes, if I can see that it is just a tease. If you get angry every time she makes you a nervous wreck. "

'enemy of The People '

Isabel 's mother, from the island of Sakhalin, and her father is from the Dominican Republic . They met in the 1980s, studies in Kiev, the capital of then-Soviet Ukraine.

Isabel 's father arrived in the Soviet Union on a student exchange program. Isabel says that when your parents got married, during the study, the University, the response was negative. Your mother was bullied and as an "enemy of The People ".

"At the University, she began giving her poor grades, even though they have always been at the top of The Class . The Day after giving birth to My Brother she had an exam. The University refused To Let you move it. Could not you defend your thesis properly. You always have top notes, But they would not give her anything more than a third-class degree.

"These Days people are educated and do not travel and you do not know that The World is full of diversity, But the majority of people interested here. Racism shows itself in Russia in the attitude towards people from the former Soviet republics. They are The Ones who need to protest, But you are afraid because many of them are here illegally. "

read more on anti-racism protests:

Maxim Nikolsky, journalist, 24 Maxim experienced racism as a child

"I've experienced casual racism in Moscow. Sometimes people look suspicious, or with rejection and change the seat if you are sitting next to you in the subway. But I have not noticed any serious racial hatred. Not as an adult.

"I encounter racism in the primary and Middle School . I think it left a mark on me. I lived on The Outskirts of Moscow. It was not only the children But their parents, the goods, the pick of them to be racist.

"When my mother to parents evening, and complained, to offend The Other children were with me, they said to her, 'it's your fault for giving birth to him'. Later, I went to a better school. The children and especially the parents, there was much more aware and open-minded.

"It annoys me, when I was A Kid and I don't often want to go to school. Now it doesn't bother me so much, But there are still moments.

"Once, at the journalism faculty at the University I held a door open for a girl and someone behind me said:" Oh! The journalism faculty has a Black bouncer!' Things like this Make Me angry, But usually a lot less than it used to. I have learned, a positive attitude to myself and think that my appearance is an advantage.

"It is the casual racism is a problem in Russia , and It Comes from ignorance. I don't think we have the institutionalized racism of The West . "

Kamilla Ogun, basketball-players, 21 If Kamilla moved to Moscow at the age of 12 years, she experienced less racism

"I've been following the protests in the United States from the beginning. I am shocked by the brutality against people of color. Racism is a problem in Russia , But here everything is hushed up. "

Camille is of Russian and Nigerian origin. She grew up in Stary Oskol , a city 600 km South of Moscow. There are many Other People of color are not goods.

"You could. The Number of Black People there are on the fingers of one hand I was lucky, because My Class was very tolerant and we all knew each other from Kindergarten. But children in other classes called me names. This was racist for sure, and you insulted me. "

Alena El-Hussein is born from The Russian and Sudanese origin, in Moscow. In her life, she felt, she looked different.

Alena believes, The Problem of racism in Russia is different than in the US.

soviet union, racism, democratic republic of congo, russia, nigeria, black lives matter

Source of news: bbc.com