“Do not drag politics to the beach”: tourists spoke about Russophobia in Europe

However, the head of the Russians project to help Russians abroad, Anna Lapenko, noted that no one should be banned from anything – they just need to explain in detail what can happen and instruct how to behave in a difficult situation. According to her, there are indeed proven facts of discrimination against Russian tourists abroad, and they should not be underestimated. Lapenko shared these thoughts during a press conference on Friday, August 19.

“Unfortunately, there were precedents. People come to the consulate and complain, they show photos and videos. So there is no need to say that everything is bloated. Now everything is calmer than it was in the spring, but still, it is unacceptable to say that there is no problem. It is necessary to teach people: how to act in such a situation, how to behave, where to turn, what rights and obligations are. I am here for legal education, and not for telling people where to go and where not to go,” Lapenko said.

As Anna Lapenko noted, if a tourist sees that he is being provoked into a conflict, he should immediately contact the police. In Italy, for example, there were precedents when the police came to the rescue, made remarks and defended the Russians. She also stressed that the current situation is a good reason for many people to remember the rules of behavior in society (not only European) and think about the need to respect each other.

“It seems to us that these are the simplest truths, but for some reason everyone forgets about them. For example, we can often see ads in Russia like “I will rent an apartment only to Slavs”, so how do they differ from an episode, for example, when a girl in France was refused to rent a car because the documents are Russian? Yes, it’s annoying, but it’s not a stalemate. It is necessary to record this episode, report it, and then contact another rental office, ”added Lapenko.

A reserved and moderate position is shared by blogger and member of the Russian Geographical Society Tatyana Tazeeva-Gritsenko: according to her, the secret of peace of mind on vacation is in adequacy and the ability to behave correctly and with dignity.

“My subscribers shared stories about holidays in Bulgaria, Turkey, Egypt and other countries. Only one person out of about 30 respondents said that he met with negative in Georgia. Most people speak in the same vein: everything is fine!

To avoid negativity, you need to be calm and adequate, not to speak out on sensitive issues, not to show aggression yourself, first. Everyone who comes there – the British, Ukrainians, Germans, anyone! – are also set to rest, so there is no need to pedal on unpleasant topics, ”says Tatyana Tazeeva-Gritsenko.

According to her, knowing your rights is the most important thing in any journey: it does not matter whether it is about Russophobia or, for example, about stealing money. The blogger also noted that her subscribers have repeatedly said: they say, they went to Europe with fears, but on the spot they understood that no one cares, no one cares about your nationality.

“We need to define terms and monitor our behavior more closely. Russophobia is when you “arrive” because you just speak Russian. Well, if you “arrive” after you loudly, on the whole beach, shout out political slogans, then this is not Russophobia – it was you who provoked the conflict situation. Otherwise, it becomes like a clash of football fans,” added the blogger.

The same advice – don’t bring political talk to the beach and on excursions – is shared by other travel bloggers among their followers. “MK” has collected several comments.

Anna, 35 years old: “I have just been to Europe. When you speak Russian, no one attacks you with fists. But problems arise with Russian citizenship. For example, in some trade brands, Russians are no longer doing tax-free. The system in the computer refuses to issue Russian passports. In one store, an Italian saleswoman was so upset, she apologized so much that I began to calm her down. And in another, the store owner made an additional discount when faced with such a problem. ”

Polina, 32 years old: “This year I rode around Europe in a car, wherever I taxied. I have never come across anything negative. It is necessary to be yourself in adequate and communicate with people like human beings. If you look at the forum of independent travelers, people who have now ventured to travel to “unfriendly countries” on their own come and report there. The overwhelming majority write that nothing has changed in relations with people.”

Olga, 40 years old: “Yes, there is a problem with cards, but there is cash. Booking still works on bookings in Europe and gives instructions on how to pay for the booking. Yes, you can run into, but more often these are temporary guests from Ukraine, and not residents of the country in which you are. I ask my friends in Lithuania whether it is dangerous to drive to them in my car. Answer – come, please. So let’s work together to dispel the horror stories about Russophobia at the household level.”

Renat, 36 years old: “As for Europe, I’ll say for sure – I’ve been there more than once this year: in Spain, and in Italy, and in Austria, and in Hungary. Fluff is everything. No one there cares about the fact that you are from Russia. You just need to behave decently, that’s all. And if you behave indecently, they will rather distance themselves from you than express something. As for the hostile attitude in Europe, this is a myth and an intensification of unnecessary passions.

Earlier, a more categorical position was expressed by Vitaly Milonov, a deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation: according to him, the Russian Foreign Ministry should think about officially banning Russians from visiting Poland and the Baltic countries, which are obviously unfriendly towards modern Russia.

“Russophobia is a kind of violation of human rights on a national basis, the same as anti-Semitism for Jews. In the current situation, we would not like our tourists to leave their money in NATO member countries. Today it is simply not safe, the local population is very aggressive,” Milonov said.