Dagestan, Russia (AP) — MOSCOW (AP) — Hundreds of people on Sunday stormed into the main airport in Russia’s Dagestan region and onto the landing field to protest the arrival of an airliner from Tel Aviv, Israel, Russian news agencies and social media reported.
Join our WhatsApp groupSubscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
Authorities closed the airport in Makhachkala, the capital of the predominantly Muslim region, and police converged on the facility. There were no immediate reports of injuries or arrests.
Russian news reports said people in the crowd were shouting antisemitic slogans and tried to storm the airliner belonging to Russian carrier Red Wings.
Video on social media showed some in the crowd on the landing field waving Palestinian flags, protesters attempting to overturn a police car and others checking the passports of passengers who had arrived in Makhachkala.
In a statement released Sunday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israel “expects the Russian law enforcement authorities to protect the safety of all Israeli citizens and Jews wherever they may be and to act resolutely against the rioters and against the wild incitement directed against Jews and Israelis.” Netanyahu’s office added that the Israeli ambassador to Russia was working with Russia to keep Israelis and Jews safe.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs for Russia’s North Caucasian Federal District, where Dagestan is located, stated that CCTV footage would be used to establish the identities of those who stormed the airport, and that those involved would be brought to justice.
While voicing support for Gaza, the regional Dagestani government appealed to citizens to remain calm and not take part in such protests.
“We urge residents of the republic to treat the current situation in the world with understanding. Federal authorities and international organizations are making every effort to bring about a ceasefire against Gaza civilians … we urge residents of the republic not to succumb to the provocations of destructive groups and not to create panic in society,” the Dagestani government wrote on Telegram.
The Supreme Mufti of Dagestan, Sheikh Akhmad Afandi, called on residents to stop the unrest at the airport.
“You are mistaken. This issue cannot be resolved in this way. We understand and perceive your indignation very painfully. … We will solve this issue differently. Not with rallies, but appropriately. Maximum patience and calm for you,” he said in a video published to Telegram.
Dagestan Gov. Sergei Melikov was more assertive in his criticism of the protesters, and promised consequences for anyone who took part in the storming of the airport.
“The actions of those who gathered at the Makhachkala airport today are a gross violation of the law!… what happened at our airport is outrageous and should receive an appropriate assessment from law enforcement agencies! And this will definitely be done!” he wrote on Telegram.
He called the protests a “knife in the backs of those who gave their lives for the security of the Motherland,” referring to the 1999 war in Dagestan and troops currently fighting in Ukraine.
Russia’s civilian aviation agency, Rosaviatsia, later reported that the airfield had been cleared of unauthorized people, but that the airport would tentatively remain closed to incoming aircraft until Nov. 6.
Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office and the Foreign Ministry said in response to the riots at the airport in Dagestan in southern Russia that “the State of Israel takes seriously attempts to harm Israeli citizens and Jews everywhere.
The Prime Minister’s Office, the Foreign Ministry and the National Security Headquarters (NSH) are following the development of the events.” “Israel expects the Russian law enforcement authorities to protect the safety of all Israeli citizens and Jews, wherever they may be, and to act decisively against the rioters. Israel’s ambassador to Russia, Alex Ben-Zvi, is working with the Russian authorities to ensure the safety of Israelis and Jews there.
One of the plane passengers at the Makhachkala airport filmed the moment of the detention of several Salafi activists who broke through to the runway.#Dagestan #IsraelWar pic.twitter.com/sOPeytOG9M
— Svitlana Bzhalava🇺🇦 (@Svitlan66621180) October 29, 2023
THESE PEOPLE ARE ALREADY HERE IN BROOKLYN THEY HATE AMERICA . OUR SYSTEM IS BROKEN WE CANNOT ALLOW THEM TO LIVE HERE.
Literally a pogrom in 2023 r”l! Chasdei Hashem that it did not end with fatalities.
HOW COME THERE IS NO JEWISH MOB OUT TO LYNCH MUSLIMS?
MY QUESTION IS AN ANSWER
SEE GENESIS CHAPTER 16. VERSE 16
So called Palestinian flag (never heard flag without a state) should be outlawed in the whole free world, it’s threatening civilians
It’s amazing how the palestinian flag is turning to the natzi flag, a flag that represents hatred and antisemitism..
Muslims = the fifth column of humanity
Time is NOW for Jewish SELF-DEFENSE everywhere!
Is this little rag country under Putin’s jurisdiction? If yes, will he get involved in quashing this uprising?
Quick, someone tell them that the 70 virgins are male, and male gorillas at that.
This is why America must help Ukraine defeat a wannabe world power, third-world backwater that is Russia. The entire country is like a portal into the 1500s.
What a weird event this is.