Video footage on social media has shown an angry crowd running through the airport in Makhachkala, in Russia, seeking people arriving on a flight from Tel Aviv.
Some of the crowd were seen running to the runway, surrounding aircraft, storming the airport terminal, asking staff where the “Jews” were, and some waving Palestinian flags.
There were shouts of antisemitic slogans while others chanted “Allahu Akbar” – God is greatest.
Local media reported that some demonstrators were stopping cars outside Makhachkala’s airport demanding to see documents.
Report said twenty persons were injured, including some police officers, and sixty alleged mob participants have been arrested.
Russia’s aviation agency Rosaviatsia said security forces has brought the situation under control, adding that the authorities closed the airport and it will remain closed until Tuesday.
Reacting to the situation, Israel has urged Russia to protect “all its citizens and all Jews” .
The Israeli prime minister’s office said Russia must act decisively against incitement to violence against Jews and Israelis.
Israel’s foreign ministry said the Israeli ambassador in Moscow was working with Russian authorities, adding that Israel “views gravely attempts to harm Israeli citizens and Jews anywhere”.
“Israel expects the Russian law enforcement authorities to safeguard all Israeli citizens and Jews, whoever they may be, and to take robust action against the rioters and against the unbridled incitement being directed at Jews and Israelis,” the ministry statement said.
On Saturday, a crowd in the city of Khasavyurt in Dagestan gathered outside a hotel where they believed some Israelis were staying, and threw stones at the windows, while a sign was put on the door that read: “Entrance strictly forbidden to citizens of Israel…(Jews).”
The rabbi of the Dagestani city of Derbent, Ovadia Isakov, reportedly told local media that the future of the estimated 300-400 Jewish families in Dagestan was in doubt, adding that Jews have had a presence in the region since pre-Islamic times.
Dagestan’s government voiced support for Gaza but appealed to citizens to remain calm and not take part in such protests. There have been widespread protests internationally against Israel’s bombing of Gaza.
Dagestan’s Governor Sergei Melikov denounced the mob invasion of the airport, in a post on messaging service Telegram.
“There is no honour in hurling abuse at strangers, searching their pockets looking for their passports!” he wrote. He condemned “attacks on women with children”.
He said the mob’s actions were a “stab in the back” for Dagestani patriots, including those fighting in Ukraine in the Russian armed forces.
“What happened at our airport is outrageous and should receive the appropriate assessment from law enforcement. This will be done,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, the United States has condemned the anti-Semitic protests in Dagestan.
“The US unequivocally stands with the entire Jewish community as we witness a worldwide surge in anti-Semitism. There is never any excuse or justification for anti-Semitism,” the White House National Security Council Spokesperson said.
Dagestan is a mainly Muslim Russian republic in the North Caucasus, home to some 3.1 million people on the western edge of the Caspian Sea. Its government said a criminal case had been opened for civil disorder.
It would be recalled that a Jewish Centre in the republic of Kabardino-Balkaria in the North Caucasus, was set on fire over the weekend.
Source ; BBC