Dozens of residents in the southern Saratov region organized demonstrations against the local Romani population after one of their members was allegedly involved in a fatal traffic accident, according to local news sources.
On Tuesday morning, a 15-year-old moped rider lost his life in a collision with a car in the village of Podlesnoye, situated along the Volga River approximately 75 kilometers (46 miles) northeast of Saratov.
Authorities detained the 36-year-old driver of the car, who has been identified by local media as belonging to the Romani community.
Around 200 individuals gathered to protest, calling for the removal of local Romani residents and accusing them of various anti-social activities, including drug trafficking, public disturbances, and driving without licenses, as reported by the Saratov news outlet Vzglyad Info.
One protester mentioned to the outlet, “We aren’t nationalists, but this is how they act.”
Video footage released by Vzglyad Info depicted residents confronting law enforcement and expressing their discontent. “We will be pleased if you remove them all,” expressed one protester.
The head of the local municipal district reportedly informed the police chief and the regional prosecutor that the area is inhabited by “individuals who often break the law.”
Local residents indicated to the outlet that “most” members of the Romani community in the village left after the protests.
This unrest follows events less than a year prior, when a murder in the Chelyabinsk region incited riots and police actions against members of the Romani community there.