In what many have highlighted as a blatant act of antisemitism, an angry mob looking for Israelis and Jewish passengers overran an airport in Russia’s Caucasus Republic of Dagestan on Sunday night, after rumors spread that a flight was arriving from Israel.
Members of the mob could be seen in videos holding signs reading “Child killers have no place in Dagestan", while dozens of others chanted "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest). The mob also broke through doors and barriers, with some even running onto the runway.
No Israelis were injured. The incident was reportedly spurred by Israel's current war on Gaza, which has so far killed over 8,500 Palestinians.*
A statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said: "Israel expects the Russian authorities to protect all Israeli citizens and all Jews, and to act decisively against the rioters and against incitement to violence against Jews and Israelis." Russian President Vladimir Putin placed blame on the incident on Western and Ukrainian "spies".
Although part of the Russian Federation, which is majority Orthodox Christian, the population of Dagestan on its own, like neighbouring Chechnya, is majority Muslim.
*These figures were accurate at the time of publishing
