FJCR president suggests those guilty of anti-Semitic actions be strictly punished

MOSCOW. Oct 30 (Interfax) - Alexander Boroda, president of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia (FJCR), has called on the Russian authorities to hand down the strictest possible punishment for the organizers of and participants in the recent anti-Semitic actions in the North Caucasus republics.

"Their actions undermine the foundations of our multicultural and multiethnic state, [and] devalue the mutual respect among representatives of different religions in our society," Boroda said in a statement released on Monday.

Attention should be given to the coverage of events in the Middle East, Boroda said. The rioters formulated their position based on information coming from social networks and the mass media, he said.

"I would like to believe that no episodes involving the fanning of religious hatred will occur again after measures are taken. The common task of representatives of all religions is to now prove and demonstrate support and mutual assistance even more energetically," he said.

The North Caucasus "is historically home to different peoples, who have always lived in peace and respect," and the recent meeting between the Russian president and the heads of traditional religions showed that "division in our country is a foreign and unacceptable thing," he said.