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Russia: Summary of Anarchist Mayday actionsSummary of Anarchist Mayday actions in Russia In Sosnoviy Bor of Leningrad Region, local anarchists joined a red demonstration and meeting. Anarchists raised a red and black flag, and distributed leaflets and Situatsiya-tabloid. During a speech of a local leader of Rodina (Motherland)-party anarchists went shouting "fascist!" with some other internationalists, cops were not very happy for this. But eventually nobody got arrested anyway. In Penza some 20 anarchists joined red demonstration. Anarchists had one banner but no flags. Altogether it was some 300-400 people in demonstration. Anarchists shouted "Today with leaflets, tomorrow with rifles!", "Fascism won't trespass!", "Nashism won't trespass!" ("Nashi" is name of new pro-Putin storm trooper organization funded by Kremlin, which has organized violent attacks against some oppositional youth organizations), "Liberty or death!" and "Revolution!". In Kazan, 4 members of Alliance of Kazan Anarchists visited both meeting of official trade-unions and red meeting. A special issue of "Kazan anarchist" was distributed, as well as leaflets "How not to get infected with fascism" and against government plans to curb deferment and exemption from military service. In Irkutsk, some 50 anarchists joined red meeting at Sport Palace. Leaflets were distributed and speeches were made by anarchists. Local bolshevists did not let anarchists to microphone. After demonstration, anarchists went to grave of Nestor Kalandarishivili, a legendary partisan and anarchist of the civil war era, where both Chicago and Siberian anarchists of the past were commemorated. In Nizhni Novgorod, anarchist press was distributed in a red meeting in Minin square. Altogether there were some 300 people in the meeting. In Krasnodar, anti-authoritarians ("unaligned" anarchists and communists, Autonomous Action, left-communist Voskhod-group and Federation of Anarcho-Communists) had a common demonstration of some 30 people. Participators carried banners "There will always be a revolution", "Trash nationalism", "Down with the power of corporations", "Down with the police state" and a red and black flag. Demonstrators scanned "Fascism won't trespass!", "Our enemy is not in Chechnya, our enemy is in Kremlin!", "Freedom! Anarchy! Communism!", and singed International and Varshavyanka. There were no arrests. In Omsk, local section of Siberian Confederation of Labour SKT joined mayday demonstration of trade unions. Red demonstration was to take place later on. SKT had 9 red and black flags, and one flag of its member organization air dispatchers' union. Motherland-party joined meeting as well, ruling party "United Russia" was officially not part of the meeting. SKT members distributed its paper Syndicalist, as well as brochure of local anarchists Antifa-action. After meeting, syndicalists had a movie screening of Bread and Roses by Ken Loach. In Petrozhavodsk, meeting of the opposition gathered up to 2000 people. Anarchists and members of "Anti-fascist initiative" were 10 people, with 2 black flags and banners "Irak - Palestine - Chechnya! Fraternity - Freedom - Spring!" and "No peace with slavery, no agreement with war". Unknown people dropped banner from building next to the square with text "Fuck the power, war and misery". In Novosibirsk creative youth organized already a second "Monstration", with up to 200 participants. They had banners "Shame on you, Vasya", "Wash yourselves", "I won't be Tsoi anymore", "It is not eggs who paint people, but people who paint eggs", "Magnet-girl lived in metro 8 years!" and others. One participator of the monstration had a placate with a photograph of vice-chief of local police, lieutenant Yuri Pimenov, with a jerky expression with his face, and with text "Everybody is free!". He, together with a friend chained to him, were taken to police station where they spent 4 hours. They were accused of organization of illegal meeting. Rest of the monstration headed to general oppositional meeting, which gathered some 3000 people. In Voronezh, official trade unions and reds marched together from Victory square to Lenin square. Anarchists blocked together with human rights activists. Press and leaflets were distributed. Statue of Lenin was decorated with banner "We destroy vertical of power", but it stayed on place only 2 minutes. After demonstration a group of boneheads assaulted young leftists. In Murmansk, red meeting gathered up to 3000 people. Anarchists were 30, and they scanned revolutionary and anti-fascist slogans. Nothing special happened. In Naberezhnye Chelny of Tatarstan, anarchists attempted to legalize a picket with little success. Already half an hour in prior to announced beginning, already 40 cops gathered in the meeting point. Person who filled announcement for the picket was immediately arrested, and taken to local police station with some other activists. Juveniles were let go after a couple of hours. One person was accused of "illegal picketing" and "distributing unregistered media". Court only gave a caution to organizer, who had to spend whole evening, night and morning in the police station. In St. Petersburg, anarchist gathered 10 AM in convergence point of general oppositional march called by "Committee of Common Action" KED, umbrella organization which mostly consists of authoritarians. Anarchist bloc was agreed with KED, but when around 50 anarchists moved from gathering point towards Nevskiy Prospekt, they were surrounded by OMON in a full riot gear and pushed brutally to sidewalk. Around 30 people were surrounded by OMON, another 50 were outside encirclement, supporting those encircled. People shouted "Shame on you!", "Down with the police state!", "Freedom", "Let us to Nevskiy!". Anarchists were held for a long time, all other blocs moved far in Nevskiy and even cleaning machines following them were moving on. But surprisingly OMON gave up the encirclement, and anarchists were let to catch the others - at this point anarchist block numbered 150 people. People shouted "No to fascism!", "Main enemy is in our own country, main enemy sits in Kremlin!", "Antifa!", "Freedom to people, death to empires!" and others. Bloc had banners "Lust of freedom is stronger than any prison", "Peace to people, war to power", "Take the streets, reclaim the city" and others. Black bloc caught the queue. But eventually those in the back of the demonstration (anarchists and other "more radical" youthful groups) were not let to the Palace Square in front of the Winter Palace. People from this group were only let to the square without flags and banners. Some fulfilled these orders, but some 50 people stayed in the new encirclement during around one hour. This time, official meeting in the square was finished and main crowd began to disperse. Encircled people used the occasion, broke through to the square and lighted a number of sea torches. An unofficial meeting against police despotism was organized, where everybody could talk to open mic (which was exactly speaking a loudspeaker). People decided to organize an illegal demonstration to Italianskaya street, headquarters of 5th TV channel in order to combat media blackout of police despotism witnessed during the day. Actually, this was also planned in prior by Pyotr Alekseyev Resistance Movement, a group which claims to follow Maximalist tradition, but is also mixing a number of other anti-authoritarian and authoritarian ideas (you may know this "Pyotr Alekseyev" better by his surname, Kropotkin). An illegal, spirited march went on to Italianskaya street, only few cops were spotted at this point - apparently they had already went for their mayday booze. Another illegal meeting was organized in Italianskaya street, but people failed to get to tv anyway. (The following report from Moscow was already posted to internet) This year, in Moscow "unaligned anarchists", Rainbow Keepers, Autonomous Action and the rest could bring only 40 people to anarchist mayday march in Moscow. This apparently because everything was put together very hastily due to other ongoing projects, and many people have apparently made a conclusion, that walking around with flags and shouting out for anarchist communism with a few dozen people changes nothing. But they are wrong, aren't they? March grouped in the beginning of the Leonteyevskiy side street, where underground anarchists had a good try to blow up Lenin back in the 1919. Intelligence judged that Tverskaya was full of pigs, so soon after passing Moscow municipal council ("city duma") march walked across the street, and went on marching Kamergerskiy side street and Kuznesky most towards Lyubyanka. These streets had way better acoustics, so shouts such as "Death to state, freedom to labour!", "Factories to workers, we will destroy all the power!", "Rubber bullets and tear gas, gift of the president to working masses!", "Freedom to people, death to empires!", "Main enemy is in our own country, main enemy sits in Kreml!", "No to war in Iraq and Chechnya!" and others sounded loud as if we were twice more. When we crossed Dmitrovka street, we discovered a horrible failure of our intelligence - 2 busloads of OMON in full riot gear were stationed there, in reserve for many mayday events around the city... but they did not expected us, and were not going to crack our heads without a special commands from above, so we just passed them peacefully, shouting "Down with the police state!". Some better-off citizens shouted us "shame on you!", perhaps they considered we should have assaulted OMON... When arriving to FSB (x-KGB) reception (the same which NRA bombed some years ago), some participators began spraying the building next to it while rest shouted "Down with the FSB!". Due to many unlucky circumstances, a traffic cop (DPS), not sticking in his own business, managed to grab one person he suspected of spraying. A de-arresting attempt was made, but in a shameful episode anarchists lost a wrestling match with the traffic pigs. They were BIG, FAT and STICKY traffic pigs! But I wonder when we will be able to challenge OMON, if we can not do even with the DPS? Soon a bunch of FSO (Federal Guarding Service) thugs ran from the building, pointing everybody with assault rifles and submachine guns and trashing some heads with nightsticks - march dispersed quickly, although some heroic acts of individual resistance were observed as well. This years anarchist Mayday march lasted only 20 minutes. Rest of the evening, we spent in police station waiting for 9 arrested comrades to be released. Luckily, there was no enough evidence to charge people of "vandalism" (felony of up to 3 years), people were given irrelevant misdemeanors of "participating to an illegal demonstration" or "organizing an illegal demonstration" and released the same evening. One of the very few good sides of the Russian pigs is (lack of) their working ethics - unless pressure from above, they really do not give a fuck. Collected by Aleksander/St. Petersburg Anarchist League (ADA-IFA), except St. Petersburg by Uliana Lesnaya and Moscow by Aleksei. . Translated and edited by Aleksei/Autonomous Action of Moscow |
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