"Shaitan-flash mob" is an attempt to resist the practice of apologies to Kadyrov

A flash mob in social networks with the word "shaitan", dedicated to the head of Chechnya, speaks of public rejection of the practice of public apologies, says Svetlana Gannushkina, the chair of the "Civil Assistance"* Committee.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on May 17, Ramzan Kadyrov threatened to liquidate the social network user for his comment "you are not a human being, you are just a shaitan," posted during Kadyrov's live broadcast on the Instagram. Two days later, on May 19, the state-run "Grozny" TV Company released a video with apologies of the teen's father and other relatives. The teen was a 15-year-old native of Dagestan living in the Moscow region.

Instagram users have launched a flash mob with a hashtag containing a mentioning of the head of Chechnya and the word "shaitan". The "Caucasian Knot" has selectively checked more than 60 publications and found at least nine real accounts.

In their comments, users have reproached Kadyrov for his act. "The schoolboy, of course, had confused something. Shaitan is a rather serious word. He labelled the person and should respond for that. On the other hand, Ramzan is a politician, and he shouldn't have spoken out like that in public," the user aleksandr_emelyanov84 has written.

The user drob163_inoy has also decided to support the flash mob and invited other users to do so. He believes that what happened to a teenager from the Moscow region is "shame and disgrace [...] to all Caucasians."

"We need by a united popular front to rebuff all presumptuous kings and padishahs," the user has written.

The fact that Instagram users have launched the flash mob indicates a public rejection of the practice of public apologies, especially when it manifests itself outside Chechnya, says Svetlana Gannushkina, the chair of the "Civil Assistance" Committee*.

"The society would not accept this practice of apologies. Of course, this action is in support of those who protest against what Kadyrov is doing. It is reasonable that people began to express their opinions in this way," said Ms Gannushkina.

A large number of flash mob participants minimize the risks of being forced to apologize, she has added.

*The organization has been put, by the Russia Ministry of Justice, on the register of non-commercial organizations (NCOs), performing the functions of a foreign agent

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 24, 2021 at 10:31 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.