Huge anti-terrorist propaganda has not managed to gain consensus
among Russians about necessity of ethnic cleansing in Checnya. But it has
gained a large majority anyway, the strong anti-war feeling that raised
during the first Chechnyan war has vanished like it never was. Even when
there is no any proof that the bomb attacks made during autumn 1999 were
in any sense connected to Chechnyan or Dagestan militants, in contrary
FSB agents met in Ryazan when carrying explosives to block of flats raise
suspicion about completely other kind of forces behind the terror wave.
War on images
180 degree change in the Russian public opinion show, that anti-terrorist rhetorics is among the best tools of the ruling class. Another powerful tool has been "normalization" of the situation, few people have their relatives in the frontline and even fever dead or wounded relatives - war is like a far-away television show, instead of human stupidity it proofs public that Russia has finally a strong leader - few ask to where the strong leader is going to take Russia.
Putin has managed to create Orwellian state of mind where "war is peace and peace is war", "truth is lie and lie is truth". A signal to Moscow inhabitants about changing times are huge highway billboards placed around the city reminding people about phone numbers of police and the former KGB, FSB.
Because of the important role of the mass media in producing propaganda, anarchists have specially targeted mass media in their actions. In action of 19th march in Moscow organised by Anti-war committee, structure of different human rights NGO's and anarchists, anarchist took with them a 2.5 meter tall "peace bomb", decorated with Orwellian slogans. Peace bomb challenged Putin as an anti-terrorist alternative - since whoever might become a terrorist someday, the best way to deal with the issue is to blast everyone at once in a big fireball. Also others have attacked mainstream media - in demonstration promoting election boycott 12th march organised by "Soyuz 2000" and "New left"-group TV's were smashed with sledgehammers.
Before kidnapping of Russian reporter Andrey Babitsky there was not any voices in mainstream media against the war. When it seemed likely that Babitsky is hosted and tortured by Russian officials, a group of journalists had enough and printed a paper about Babitsky and how their opinions are cencored in their media.
Many anti-war groups but few people
Various anarchist-, anti-fascist-, human rights and trotskist groups have organised anti-war activity around Russia. Also some stalinist groups oppose the war, but they haven't organised any street activity. Infamous "Soldier's mothers" has been somewhat inactive in the streets of Moscow during this far, maybe demoralized because of the unsupportive public opinion. However, they provide aid to conscripts and spread information about the situation. Soldier's mothers have organised regular demonstrations in Saint Petersburg, some accountants have reported that at least sometimes audience has been hostile. In Moscow both demonstrators and people distributing anti-war stickers in metro have managed to avoid fights with few exceptions, althought often public reacts actively commenting to actions.
Anti-war resistance in Moscow
During year 2000, anarchists have organised seven anti-war demonstrations in Moscow, with 110 participators at best. Anarchist demonstrations have been organised by a coalition, which includes Anarchist anti-war movement, Dikobraz, KAS and Utopia-paper. People from other anarchist groups have participated to demonstrations as individuals. Anti-war committee, alliance of large variety of anti-war groups from anarchists from Anarchist anti-war movement to Memorial and Helsinki committee, has also organised 6 demonstrations with 520 and 200 people at best.
Besides demanding finishing of the state terror in Chechnya, anarchists have raised banners related to the general political climate - "Down with the police state" or "Stalin died - Putin lives". Before elections, anarchists came to demonstrations with a ballot box with a form of coffin, and distributed to trespassers ballots where was only 7 times the name of Putin. It is very common sense to attack elections in the same as the war, since the war was meant to be a part of the election campaign.
Some opportunistic participators of the anti-war committee, namely Anti-militarist Radical Association which is a frontgroup of Italian-originating Radical party have used committee actions as a platform to promote corporate-friendly social democrat presidental candidate Grigori Yavlitsky, strategy against the agreed working principles of the committee. This was of course a big disappointment to anarchists participating the committee and raises a question will this kind of cooperation continue.
Police has disturbed demonstrations in a small scale, for example in one anti-war committee demonstration 2 anti-Putin leafletters were arrested for distributing "anti-constitutional materials", and police has threated to arrest sellers of anarchist "Avtonom"-paper since "it is not registered and includes anti-constitutional materials". In Nizhni Novgorod few anarchists were arrested for distributing anti-election propaganda in election day. Larger repression has not been necessary because of the large popular support of Putin, but this small scale disturbing maybe gives some sense about what there is to come.
Different anti-election initiatives
Trotskists together with new lefters organised anti-war demonstration with some 20 people sunday 12th of march, new leftists called election boycott demonstrations 11th, 12th and 18th of march. There was various election boycott and "vote against all"-initiatives, in Russia it is possible to "vote against all" and when alternative gets most votes in some area the elections will be reorganised there. Election boycott was supported by new left and those anarchists organising anti-war demonstrations including Dikobraz, some other anarchists demanded voting against everything - which unfortunately was later demanded also by the main nazi party Russian National Unity (RNE). Finally against everyone get some 2% of votes, more in big urban areas of St. Petersburg and Moscow, which gives some signal that it was finally more adopted by liberals and leftists since urban centers are not the main nazi support areas. But of course, the real numbers in Russian elections can be almost whatever since no-one knows what is happening in army barracks's, peripheria or warzone in election days, except that it has nothing to do with the way elections should be done according to the constitution which bosses made for themselves.
Moscow anarchists took an early start to 1st of may celebrations by organising a conceptual "1st of april" demonstration to "support" Putin - slogans included demanding of nomination of Putin to a czar, demanding that he makes some male children (since he has 2 girls), and welcoming the police state. There was black and orange flags, plus one red with white balls. Now Moscow anarchists will breath for a while to make a major 1st of may action as a part of global action day, putting the war to its context as a an integral part of the global capitalist system.
Actions outside the Moscow
In Saint Petersburg common anti-war initiative by antifascists, anarchists and trotskists, anti-war committee, organised anti-war music festival and demonstration 27th february. Saint-Petersburg Anti-war committee has organised pickets each saturday, and Soldier's mothers each wednesday. In smaller cities like Nizhni Novgorod just few people has participated to demonstrations. In Yekaterinburg DPN, "Movement Against Violence" which consists of some 10 radical anti-militarist liberals and anarchists, organised weekly actions against war and conscription since january which are still continued. Group also gives legal aid to conscripts and deserters.
In january Gleb Edelev and Aleksandr Zimbovskij from the group violated some regulations, and get 10 days prison sentence. Conservative Siberia is a hard place for activism, all Yekaterinburg cops know DPN people and try to harrass their activities the best they can.
In prison they began hunger strike to protest their sentence, and as a result they were freed after 4 days. However, in wednesday 23th of february in a demostration organised for the day of Chechen deportation 1943 to Kazakhstan cops took Gleb and Aleksandr to finish their sentence, as a response they immediately refused from both food and liquids. On saturday 26th february a demonstration demanding their liberation was organised, and the following day they were freed 2 days before the set date.
Dmitry Neverovsky is a consciencious objector from Obninsk, Kaluga region who got 2 years prison sentence 25th of november 1999. Many conscripts have refused to go to war in this area, since Neverovsky is active antimilitarist and his mother is a member of the city council he was picked as a warning example. He has been beaten by the guards in prison at least once.
Yekaterinburg Movement Against Violence is one of the Russian movements
in constant shortage of money. If there is similar radical anti-militarist
groups abroad interested to start partnership, they can be reached from
contact
e-mail: dpn@emts.ru
Gleb Edelev
ul. Studencheskaya 13 kv. 48
620049 Yekaterinburg
Since they only speak Russian requests in English can be sent via Dikobraz.
We can also provide contacts of other anti-war initiatives we are aware
of.
Some new pictures, leaflets and stickers are available online at:
http://www.kolumbus.fi/antra/antiwar/
Dikobraz contact:
Olga Miryasova
P. O. Box 13
109 028 Moscow
(no name of the group on envelope)
dikobrazi@lists.tao.ca
or
rk@glasnet.ru
| More News from Russia |
|
|
|