The Russian Public Chamber of the Crimea with the participation of the regional government and the Crimean Federal University held a round table on interethnic relations. On the outcome of the meeting it was stated that the national policy on the peninsula allegedly "requires correction", - writes Sergey Stelmakh in the column on "Crimea. Realities ".

The head of the Public Chamber, Grigory Ioffe, reproached the Crimean Tatars for the poor turnout in the last presidential elections in neighboring Russia. Therefore, he is sure, the indigenous people should live "on general grounds": without quotas and preferences. The fact that the Crimean Tatars do not have a special status, Mr. Ioffe modestly kept silent.

"The presidential election has become a watershed, after which traditional approaches for the Ukrainian Crimea to the problem in the conditions of Russian reality require major changes. It is necessary to analyze the situation and revise an important section in the sphere of national policy in the Crimea, "he said.. According to Joffe, earlier the national policy in the region was built on one historical event - Stalin's deportation of many peoples, "which was an inhuman manifestation of the totalitarian Soviet regime".

He proposed to reconsider the position of the authorities regarding the concept of "previously deported peoples", to resolve the issue of terms and not equate the concept of "previously deported" and Crimean Tatars. As Ioffe believes, "previously deported" must be applied to those who were directly expelled from the Crimea, and their children, who were born in places of expulsion. He is sure that young Crimean Tatars do not want to "wear a stigma" with the name "previously deported".

According to "expert estimates" voiced at the meeting, the turnout among the Crimean Tatars was about 29%, but the figures vary depending on the region. In the Belogorsky district, where most of the Crimean Tatars live, about 13.2% came to the plots; in the Kirov - 23.6%. A low turnout was in Simferopol (18.7%) and Dzhankoy, where out of 2,400. Crimean Tatars came to the polls as much as 100 people (4.1%). In the Krasnogvardeysky district, 9.8% of the Crimean Tatars voted for the polling stations, 16.6% in the Nizhnyegorsk district,. In Dzhankoy and Bakhchsarai districts, the figures were slightly higher: 20.6% and 21.6%, respectively. We will repeat, we are talking about the data presented by the organizers of the "round table".

The head of the so-called "national-cultural autonomy" of the Crimean Tatars Eyvaz Umerov tried to challenge the thesis of low turnout, but he was quickly defeated. Say, "no matter how much you argue about the figures, the fact remains that most of the Crimean Tatars ignore the election".

Next to the discussion, two local historians were connected: Oleg Romanko and the director of the Central Museum of Tauris Andrey Malgin. Romanko, who was repeatedly criticized for distorting historical facts, said that in Crimea they allegedly hushed up the theme of collaboration in the years of World War II. At the same time, it was implied that we are talking only about the Crimean Tatars. Director of the museum Malgin spoke more streamlined: they say, it's time to openly discuss an unpleasant but important national issue.

If we reject demagogy, then the Crimean Tatars present on the "round table" technically indicated that they were "the descendants of traitors". The cynicism of the situation is that at the meeting of collaborators there were discussions on the topic of collaborationism during the years of the Soviet-German war with negative connotations towards the indigenous people. There is an open discrimination of the Crimean Tatars. This time their "fault" is that they did not go to the election of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Now the Crimean authorities are looking for whom to appoint "extreme" for the complete failure of the "national policy" in the region. The expression is specially taken in quotes, because on the annexed peninsula this means the process of "taming" Crimean Tatars and Ukrainians. Since the spring of 2014, the Kremlin and regional authorities have sought public consent from the indigenous people with annexation. The presidential election once again confirmed that the Crimean Tatars in the bulk do not agree with the Russian order.

Judging by the context, "extreme" announced the team of State Duma deputy Ruslan Balbek, which includes Eyvaz Umerov. The main work on the Russification of the Crimean Tatars was carried out by them. Even before the presidential elections, Eyvaz Umerov stated that ostensibly more than 50% of the Crimean Tatars are ready to come to polling stations. The forecast did not come true. Although on the voting day Ruslan Balbek told reporters that the turnout among the indigenous people allegedly exceeded 40%, of which more than 91% supported Vladimir Putin.

After the election, he did not comment on the results. On the "round table" it was not. After the event, Ruslan Balbek's comment appeared on the Web, but he touched on another "important" problem: the State Duma deputy was indignant that Russian children in the sandbox are entertained with toys with US symbols.

The question of absenteeism in elections is only the tip of the iceberg. Mestechkovoye authorities are taking scores with the Crimean Tatars as a whole. If in Ukraine they were hampered by laws and the Constitution, now there are no obstacles. Grigory Ioffe applied proven technology: they organized a "round table", which invited officials from among the Crimean Tatars and "experts". Then they were sealed with each other. This time in the role of experts on national issues made Malgin and Romanko.

Last time, when Grigory Ioffe needed to drown the bill on the Crimean Tatar language, the role of an "expert" was made by another figure - assistant professor at the Medical University Viktor Kharabuga. He said that "there is no indigenous people" in Crimea. Consequently, it is not necessary to introduce mandatory training in the Crimean Tatar language.

On the eve of the anniversary of the criminal deportation of 1944, local authorities decided to remind the indigenous people that they do not have any rights in the "Russian" Crimea. Even those that are spelled out in Russian legislation. Trends alarming. Nobody can guarantee that next time the Crimean Tatars will not be announced: "You did not go to the polls. Collect things and get out ".

Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty Join also the TSN group. Blogs on facebook and follow the updates of the section!.