St. Petersburg, Russia
Ivan Ibernov Leader of the Black Hundreds gazed out at the people the masses who had packed the square to hear him speak. Snow flitted down from the dark night sky adding to the atmosphere. He was their leader, as great as the Tsar if not greater.
“People of Russia!” he called out and the massive crowd instantly became silent to hear his words.
“Russia is threatened,” he said gravely “Threatened from inside and outside. From within we have the Jews! These vermin are a plague upon our nation! They take our jobs, steal our land, and horde our wealth! In the Great War the Jews were responsible for Russia’s defeat. Our soldiers fought bravely and fiercely determined to save the Motherland from the German barbarian at all costs. But the Jews stabbed us in the back! They incited communist revolution throughout Russia! These empty headed fools taken in by fantasies. But not only Russia, throughout all the world there has been a conspiracy of International Jewry working together with the Barbaric (Germanic) races and the Mongrel people have plotted to extend their vile grasp throughout the world. We will not allow it! We must not allow it!” he thundered
“We brave Russian people have been set this task of purifying the world of the disorders that taint it. We will not let the Motherland down!” he roared.
“Our land has been stolen, our people defiled, by foreign invaders! Will you oh pureblooded Russian people allow this to go unpunished? No I say! Make them suffer! Make them pay! Make them bleed for every single inch of land they have taken, for every Russian they have killed, for every insult that has been heaped on our nation! Our proud and glorious nation oh how I lament for the Motherland! But I also hope, I hope for the day that every Russian rises to task that has been set out before them, it is your duty oh brave people of Russia to fight! Fight for the Motherland! Fight against the foreign invaders! Fight against the Jews! They are the ones to blame for the state the Rodina is in! Rise up! Rise up against those responsible! Make them pay! Make them suffer! Make them bleed! The fate of the Motherland is in your hands! If every Russian takes his duty with his head held high and proud we will triumph! And we shall conquer! Go Russian people! Go do your duty!” Ivan screamed with terrible passion.
The faces of the great masses that had been watching Ivan speak transformed. They gazed at him as though he was the Messiah. Their faces lost all traces of humanity and took on a positively bestial aspect. A great roar went up from tens of thousands of throats and the mob poured out of the square.
In the Jewish quarter of St. Petersburg the mobs broke into Jewish shops and homes. Storefronts were smashed open and looted. Homes were burnt, the Jewish women and girls dragged out of bed and brutally raped and beaten. The men and boys were stabbed and shot. Old men some confined to wheelchairs were pushed down stairs tumbling over and over much to the enjoyment of the mob.
In other parts of the city, Jewish storefronts were firebombed. Cars were tipped over and smashed. Brutal attacks against Jews occurred all night. The violence steadily spread to other cities across the Empire as the speech had been broadcasted on the radio. The sky glowed bright red as entire Jewish communities were torched. The Jews however were no the only people to face the wrath of the Russian people.
In front of the German embassy a great mob formed. The embassy guards were pelted with stones, bottles, and any thing else on hand that could be thrown. The embassy guards opened fire into the crowd hoping to disperse them. Several members of the mob were killed. For the moment there was a silence. Then a great howl of rage erupted from the mob they rushed forward toward the gate. The gate began shaking as hundreds of hands pulled at it; finally it was wrenched off its hinges. The mob poured in bent on vengeance. The embassy guards began firing indiscrimatley in a desperate attempt to stop the mob but only succeeded in fueling their fury. The mob overwhelmed them kicking, punching and stabbing them. Pieces of their body were hacked off and tossed to the side.
Already the mob was on the move and burst through the embassy doors, those unfortunate enough to fall into their ends died painfully being torn to shreds, or beaten to death. The embassy was comprehensively looted and set fire to. The same scene was repeated in the Austro-Hungarian, Bulgarian, and Ottoman embassies. The embassy staff was massacred, and the embassy gutted. In the foreign quarter the homes of the ambassadors were broken into. Them and their family were captured and dragged into the freezing streets in their nightclothes. They were tied to the nearest lamppost and left to freeze to death.
By early morning the violence had died down save for a few sporadic outbursts. Dark smoke was rose into the air from smoldering ruins of homes and shops. Shocked survivors wandered near their destroyed homes as though in a trance. The streets were covered with bodies, blood, and shattered glass. The mob having vented their fury had gone home.
By 9:00 the Tsar made that morning a radio broadcast.
“I Tsar Michael II of the Romanov Dynasty exercise my Imperial Authority and order all Jews of the Empire to report themselves to the nearest police station for processing. Recent events have shown that the Jews are incapable of living among the rest of Russian society, thus for their own safety they are to go to the nearest police station where they will be dispatched to protection camps which have been set up specifically for them. All Jews are expected to comply; soldiers or police who have been dispatched will shoot any Jew who does not heed this directive on sight. Furthermore the embassies of Germany, and Austria-Hungary are hereby closed, all diplomatic missions to the aforementioned countries are withdrawn."
"I Tsar Michael II of the Romanov Dynasty authorize Ivan Ibernov and the Black Hundreds full powers of the state to ensure by any means the defense of the Motherland over the threats of Jewery, foreigners, and Communists. May God be with us.”