A veteran of the anarchist and anti-fascist movement of Ukraine, Maxim Butkevich, has been a prisoner of war of the Russian army for two years. Anarchists could write more about him, and my text about him also comes late, but there is little that can be done to help him.
In January, the Father Frost against Putin-festival was organized in Helsinki for the ninth time. The first festival was organized in 2014, but there were no festivals in 2021 and 2022 due to border closures and Covid.
In night between 16th and 17th of October in Bishkek, according to DOXA, unknown people kidnapped activist of Left Bloc, anarchist Lev Skoryakin. Lawyers do not know about his whereabouts. In Russia, Skoryakin is accused of ”hooliganism with weapons”, due to action against a FSB office in the South-West of Moscow with another activist of the Left Bloc Ruslan Abasov. Skoryakin and Abasov were holding banners and burning flares at the office.
The antifascist movement emerged in Russia in the late 1990s – early 2000s as a response to neo-Nazis’ violence: back then, the far-right was attacking migrants, homeless people, punks and anyone they didn’t like almost daily. Over the past couple of decades, the movement has changed significantly, having gone through murders of its participants, numerous criminal cases and now a split due to the war. Radio Svoboda (RS) recounts the story of Russian antifa.
Hi everyone! Today is Sunday, August 28 and we continue our podcast “Trends of order and chaos”. This is episode 69. Here are the main topics on past weeks’ agenda.
The war rages for half a year now
This week marked half a year of “special operation”, or rather of the official stage of war against Ukraine, when Russian government openly entered its army on Ukrainian territory, without hiding behind its “little green men”.
Translation from Crimethinc., as part of a collection of anti-war texts from Russia.
Disturbances-lecture has been cancelled as speaker won't be able to make it.
Instead, tortillas and beans will be served. There will be also a screening of a fictional movie which tells stories of artists under pressures from capitalist and racist system in 90's USA.
fb: https://www.facebook.com/events/969282499815562/
http://www.colta.ru/docs/29793
Morning Visitors
The windows of the pricey Finnish supermarket Prisma, in Saint Petersburg’s former Warsaw Station, look out onto a structure with a half-collapsed roof and scruffy walls. People live there, however. They pay rent to the mysterious “proprietor” of the resettled residential building. He probably managed to “come to terms” with local “law enforcement” for a time, but the building is slated for demolition.
It is by now obvious that Russia is drowning ever-more deeply within a swamp of fascist dictatorship. Riding the wave of xenophobic hysteria which has flared up prior to the Moscow mayoral elections, a true concentration camp for migrants has been opened. It is being filled through an all-out hunt for ‘non-Europeans’ conducted on the streets of Moscow.
It was not surprising after the recent homophobe and xenophobic changes of laws in russia that now in the context of election campaign in moscow the issue of migration was put in a very simple and racist direction by deciding to seperate and concentrate masses of illegalised people in camps.
In the far North-West of a once mighty empire, there is a distant province, mostly known due to the sluggishness of its inhabitants. They have still not gotten rid of the statue of a czar, who ruled 150 years ago, in the central square of their capital. Inhabitants of the province have never won a single war, but they have a plenty of other reasons to be proud - for example, a ski-jumper who achieved a lot in 1980, but has since then struggled with a substance abuse problem.
On the 29th of March the Federal Migration Service of Russia gave Finnish citizen Antti Rautiainen, a member of Autonomous Action, an order to leave the Russian Federation within 15 days. According to the order, Rautiainen is suspected of "making statements for the violent overthrow of the constitutional order." Migration authorities have commented, that such decisions are made according to orders from the FSB.
Rautiainen wants to appeal the decision with help of lawyers from the "Civic Action" NGO.
Publish a video message of Ramadan Utarbieva declared the federal wanted list in connection with the murder of Yegor Sviridov December 6, 2010. Sure that all who are deeply touched personally by this tragedy (the murder for us as anarchists - is always a tragedy), will be interested to read an alternative point of view, as always, ignored by corporate media.
January 11 in the area Cheryomushki in the south-west of Moscow immigrants from Kyrgyzstan came to protest against mass checks of visitors during the Christmas holidays. About 30 protesters guest workers were detained by police and taken to the district police station. Information about the fate of the detainees there. The grounds for the detention of the protesters called the police violation of the order of events. However, official reports that the action was not consistent with the prefecture, has been reported.
January 19, 2009 were killed by anti-fascists - a lawyer Stanislav Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova. They were killed in the heart of Moscow in broad daylight, shot in the head. Two years have passed. Their alleged killers were found and are awaiting trial. But during this time the situation with the Nazi terror has only worsened. The level of hatred in society increases, and the discriminatory policies of the State extends.
Today in Moscow Manege Square several thousand people gathered to express a protest. The rally was dedicated to the memory of Egor Sviridov, fans Spartak Moscow, who was murdered on December 6 in a scuffle with Caucasians. Organizers are encouraged to avoid the Nazi slogan "because most likely this is a provocation scum", but murder will out, and a core set of chants was: "Moscow - Russian city," "We are Slavs," "Only Russian, only the victory!" Russian's time to fight back, one for all and all for one! "
The state campaign of mass expulsion of Romani migrants in France has been going on for almost a month. Since late summer 2010 from France to Bulgaria and Romania were deported over a thousand illegals Roma. Also, the country sent more than a thousand Romanians. Gypsies deported from France as illegal migrants travel to the UK, Germany or Spain. About 90% of Roma expelled from France for the last month have already gone back to Western Europe. According to the deportees, they have no other choice, because at home, in Romania, they are doomed to live in poverty and discrimination.
In Sydney, nine refugees from China climbed to the roof of the immigration center, and threatened to jump down if they were granted political asylum. A group of nine men aged 20 to 30 years, including a pregnant woman, climbed onto the roof at about 8 am on Wednesday , September 22, local time. They require a review of their cases immigration center. In case of failure is one of the refugees promised to jump off the roof. The deadline for the protesters called 14:30 Thursday.
In Sydney, nine refugees from China climbed to the roof of the immigration center, and threatened to jump down if they were granted political asylum. A group of nine men aged 20 to 30 years, including a pregnant woman, climbed onto the roof at about 8 am on Wednesday , September 22, local time. They require a review of their cases immigration center. In case of failure is one of the refugees promised to jump off the roof. The deadline for the protesters called 14:30 Thursday.
4 September in France have been demonstrations against xenophobia. Activities were successful - a lot of people came to express their protest against the racist government policies and the strengthening of police control. Of course, the demonstration itself will change little, but serious mobilization gives us confidence in future successes in the fight against xenophobia, both the State and against the future of reforms in the social sphere.
June 11th is the International Day of Solidarity with Marius Mason & All Long-Term Anarchist Prisoners. This action day has a long history, it was organized first time 20 years ago in 2004. In the first year, we managed to paint a graffiti to wall of one of the most guarded objects of Moscow,...
Anarchist group ANA Regensburg hosted my online-presentation on 16th of May 2024, in which I discussed tactics of anti-war activism in Russia, and reasons why the anti-war movement has not been able to make an impact to change the course of events yet. Cases of anarchists repressed for anti-war...