26.02.2007 | Anarchist actions in Russia around 23rd of February 2007

In 2004 "Day of defender of the fatherland", formerly "Day of the red army", got a status of an official holiday - this marked it as an anarchist day of protest if it had not already been before. States are celebrating many doubtful issues, but a state holiday in a day of ethnic cleansing, that of Chechens and Ingushetians in 1944, was about too much.

In Moscow in 2004, 50 anarchists promptly marched without any permissions down Tverskaya, then by Kuznetskiy Most to Lyubyanka square, where a brief meeting was held before police showed up. Next year they were to come up with a more ambitious plan - "Deserter day festival", a weekful of anti-militarist events.

In first festival of 2005, most events were open, which resulted holders of all premises receiving phone calls from various secret services. Most events were halted before planned time, some were cancelled altogether. March by new and old Arbat streets resulted some arrests.

In 2006, due to experience of previous year, festival was more low key in Moscow due to repressions in previous year, but actions spread more widely around Russia than in previous year. In Irkutsk of Siberia, anarchists staged up a "play war", in Tyumen anarchists organised action "Do not serve monsters". Beginning of that year was marked with hideous  fate of private Sychev, who had his feet and parts of testicles amputated after first being tortured in army and then denied medical care for days. In Moscow, OMON trashed cartoon tanks of anarchist deserter platoon next to State library, just few hundred meters from Kremlin.

So what about 2007?

In previous evening, movies were shown in both Moscow and Tyumen. In Moscow, a short clip of anti-militarist disruption by Clandestine Insurrectional Rebel Clown Army was shown, after which Andreas Speck from War Resisters International spoke on theme "Global resistance against militarism", case examples were anti-recruitment campaigns in USA, refusniks in Israel and anarchist organising against militarization of Venezuela. With around 60 participators, Moscow event was a big success.

In Tyumen, first short documentary "A letter to home" about mobbing in army was shown, then Tin Drum of Volker Schlondorff. In following discussion, symbolism of "Tin Drum" got most different interpretations, but there was no much discussion about 23rd of February as no-one among audience had positive feelings towards militarism.

Following night saw some activity as well, it is told that in Tyumen military call up centres were covered with graffiti "No soldiers - no wars" and "Soldiers home - generals to barracks". In Moscow, at least three military call up centres were targeted in Lefortovo region of Moscow and Moscow region - graffiti included "If you do not want to serve  - do not serve" and "Army is slavery". Some windows were trashed as well.

You may download a video on Moscow graffiti actions from http://www.ifolder.ru/1181078 (20 Mb). 

In Voronezh, revolutionary anarchist group "Black Bloc" made graffiti at Voronezh Military Institute of Aerial Engineering, anarchists painted "I was born to live, not to serve in army!", "Army is slavery", "Bring soldiers home - send Putin to Chechnya!", "No soldiers - no wars!", "Armed people will defend itself" and others. It was -20C (-4F), but everything went fine, besides the fact that anarchists had to gnaw beer, which they were carrying not in order to booze but in order to deceive authorities, as it was frozen.

Pictures from Voronezh are available in

http://ru.indymedia.org/newswire/display/16096/index.php

In Krasnoyarsk, anarchists painted to call-up centres "Deserter is a hero of Russia", "Call-up - army - morgue", "Call-up is slavery", "No to war",  "I want to live, not to serve" and "One does not born to be a soldier, but one does die as a soldier".

Next day in Blagoveschensk of Russian Far East, local call up centre got some extra graffiti although the previous ones were also not cleaned yet. Stickers and leaflets "Lads! There is nothing to do in army!" and "Hero is not one who killed, but one who refused!" and "If you do not want to serve, do not serve!" were also distributed, and more paintings were made with stencils.

23rd of February, it was time for action in Moscow. It was a clear but cool winter day with -14 C (7 F), most of the people preferred to stay inside, so streets were almost empty. People formed small groups in first gathering point and regrouped in Patriarch Ponds, our "Down with the police state" banner was too big for narrow Maloy Bronnoy street, so just banners

"Our fatherland is the whole humanity",

 "No war but the class war" and

"Peace to people, war to powers" were carried. Besides traditional slogans ("No to war in Iraq and Chechnya!", "Our enemy is not in Chechnya, our enemy is in Kremlin!", "Freedom, equality, anarcho-communism!", "Raise the black flag higher, state is the main enemy!"), I also heard some new ones (such as "Aty-baty - trash the call up centers!" and "Peace to people, war to powers!"). 

March turned to Tverskoy boulevard and crossed Nikitskaya, in New Arbat a police car cut march, but people oriented quickly and nobody was arrested. March went down the Gogol boulevard to Kropotkin metro station, as OMON was still nowhere around it was decided that march would go on to  Park Kultury metro station. But in a minute, two busloads of astronauts showed up and people went legging - around 15 of 110 participators were arrested, some brutally, many of them because  they attempted to hide in a trolley bus. Until 6 PM, everyone was released, those over 18 were given fines of 500 roubles in courts, nobody is considering to pay fines.

In Vladivostok, activists of Vladivostok Autonomous Action and others made a small action without flags and banners. They carried a big red box, a coffin of a conscript, by central street to main call-up centre of the region. This way organisers of action wanted to show, that many people do not return from army at all, or remain disabled for rest of their lives. On way to call-up centre, participators shouted "Soldiers home, generals to prisons!, "Army is slavery, down with the state!" and other slogans. Police was already waiting for them at call-up centre, and those who could not escape were roundly rounded up. They were giving court orders for misdemeanour charge of participating an illegal demonstration, and everyone was released in few hours. 

In Kazan, there was a picket in main pedestrian street from 11 to 12 AM.

People carried banners "Freedom, equality, internationalism", "Down with the conscription slavery", "Make love not war", "No races, no nations, no borders", "No Nazism - no problem", and had red and black, black and pacifist orange flags. There were around 20 people altogether. Some 200 leaflets written in St. Petersburg last year were distributed. There was no harassment from side of authorities, besides usual monitoring with video cameras.

After picket, participators moved to premises provided by a local religious organisation to continue program. Actually it came up as an illegal march. After some 20 minutes cops showed up,  but people managed to speak themselves out of the problems.

Inside, a recorded TV program on anti-fascist actions and Soviet classic anti-fascist movement "Everyday fascism" were screened. Space was cold but atmosphere was friendly. Besides from Kazan, there were people from cities nearby, Germany and Cameroon. During the day, anti-fascist stickers and new local anarchist paper Derzay ("Hold on", http://www.derzaj.ru) were distributed.

5 PM a concert with punk and other alternative groups began, and it went on without any problems. Derevyanniy Macintosh, RISK, Spory?, N.T. Lie, Branch (Tolyatti), Indikator (Izhevsk), Frenzied Kids (Perm) and

Vitamin Rosta (Nizhnekamsk, their last concert ever) were supposed to play.

Pictures from Kazan:

http://ru.indymedia.org/newswire/display/16087/index.php

There was also a picket in Yekaterinburg in 23rd of February, in a comic scene two police districts almost went physical between each other, where settling the issue where action should take place.

As a rule, Yekaterinburg anti-war actions have taken place at headquarters of Military District of Volga and Ural, which is also close to crossing of Kirov and Oktyabrskiy districts of the city. Soon after picketers showed up, plain clothes officers, lead by Sergey Vasilyevich Evdokimov showed up, asking why activists were this time in side of Oktyabrskiy district, as usually they are in the side of Kirov district. As a response, activists showed a letter, subscribed by vice-mayor of Yekaterinburg Kulik, where vice-mayor proposed to move action by 50 meters, due to "danger of terrorist assaults".

But police chief Evdokimov was not afraid of terrorists! He noted, that in his opinion it would be better to move action 50 meters back to its usual place, which is in side of Kirov district, and which is also where organisers had originally appealed to have the action.

This turn of events was welcomed by organisers, and they moved 50 meters - also demanding security guarantees from Evdokimov, in case police of Kirov district would not like this turn. They supposed this would be necessary, as in another side of the street there were more and more police officers of Kirov district gathering. Thus participators moved to another side of street, accompanied by police from Okyabrskiy district. 

When they had crossed the street, a short but very heated discussion between police representatives of two districts followed. Seldom may one see police taking issue of free speech of the people so close to heart.

Eventually, conflict between two police districts was settled by a representative of city police department, and police of Oktyabrskiy district crossed road back to their area, victorious.

picket was organised by Yekaterinburg Movement Against Violence and joined by local anarchists from Autonomous Action and Chechen and Ingushetian cultural centre "Vainakh". Participators carried placates "23rd of February - date of deportation of Chechens and Ingushetians",   "23rd of February - a day of anti-war actions", "For your and our freedom", "Army is a school of slavery and violence", "Army in Russia is murder, harassment, sadism", "Down with conscription slavery", "War in Chechnya is a crime, shame on Russia" and others.  and banners "Afghanistan, Chechnya... what next? Enough!" and "No to war, dictatorship, conscription". Altogether there were 17 participators. 

In Kaliningrad it was not warm either, -15 C, but 30-40 people gathered for a "Drink not bombs" against big liquor business at statue of Schiller. Anarchists distributed leaflets to people passing by, and also collected signatures for a petition, against development project around the square, which is supposed to destroy all the green areas. When Whatman paper was full of signatures, a delegation visited mayor's office to pass it.

In Saturday of 24th of September, Deserter festival continued in Moscow with closed sections, where campaigns against Sochi Olympic candidature of 2014 and against elections of 2007-2008 were planned. In evening, there was a concert, which turned out to be very big although it was secret - up to 200 people were packed to a club. Crowd Control, and Kranshtein from St. Petersburg, Vo Ves Golos from Nizhniy Novgorod, and Working boys, Ruki Na Odeyalo, Penicill, Reu49 and Politzek from Moscow were playing.

Of St. Petersburg, no-one has written accounts yet but apparently in 23rd anarchists and human rights activists organised a common anti-war action and in 24th there was a non-violence training  with guests from War Resisters' International. In Sunday 25th, there was also a concert in Nizhniy Novgorod, and a major police provocation against Food Not Bombs in St. Petersburg - 15 people, both organisers and homeless, were arrested in spot of the action, under false pretext of investigations of a recent bomb attack against McDonald's in St. Petersburg (apparently made by a mentally unbalanced man), and interrogated them up to 4 hours - asking questions "very much in topic", such as "do you know what does 14/88 means?" and "who is your leader?".

Ok, this was about all about Deserter day this year - hope to see you around here next year!

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