WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd October, 2020) A Manhattan-based storage company should remove a provocative anti-Russian banner from the wall of it building because the content expresses ethnic discrimination, Congress of Russian Americans (CRA) President Natalie Sabelnik told Sputnik.
"It was brought to our attention that Manhattan Mini Storage building has a banner 'VOTE because Russian lessons are expensive.' We found that it was ethnic discrimination and profiling because everyone in America has the right to vote," Sabelnik said on Thursday.
The United States is set to hold a presidential election on November 3. The US government has accused Russia of meddling in the United States' political process during the 2016 presidential election and to a lesser extent in the 2020 election. Russia has repeatedly denied the allegations, saying they were invented to excuse the election loss of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and to deflect public attention from actual instances of election fraud and corruption.
Sabelnik said she can only suspect that the authors of the banner probably meant to depict the alleged Russian government intrusion in the US elections.
"According to reports that was not the case. However, it affects the Russian Americans living here," Sabelnik said.
Consequently, the CRA sent a letter to Manhattan Mini Storage calling on the company to remove the banner and not display such messages in the future.
"Honestly, I do not expect a letter in response, but if they do respond, it will not be right away. I am sure they would consult with their attorney before responding," Sabelnik said.
Many Russians living in the United States have helped the country develop and become prosperous, noting that "many very prominent Russians have contributed" to America, she said.
Sabelnik acknowledged the right of Americans to put any banners, but called on people to be responsible and not insult other ethnic groups.
Another Russian diaspora group - the Russian Community Council of the USA - also sent a letter to Manhattan Mini Storage urging the company to remove the banner and threatening legal action if it ignores the call.
