Протесты

In late January, news that Viktor Filinkov, a left-wing activist and computer programmer, had disappeared (24 January) at St Petersburg’s Pulkovo airport was followed by arrests and searches (26 January) at the apartments of anti-fascist activists in the city.

We are currently fundraising to pay the lawyers working on several cases related to the police raids and arrests of anarchists and antifascists in St. Petersburg and Penza, Russia. 

As of now, two people in St. Petersburg and five in Penza are under arrest, while many others have been connected to their cases as witnesses. The raids and repressions are likely to continue. 

March 25 was planned by some liberal opposition leaders as the day of the biggest protest against Lukashenko’s policies this year. The biggest one on the wave of the recent anti-governmental demonstrations that started in February this year. It ended with the biggest police mobilization in years bringing thousands of riot cops to Minsk and detaining hundreds of people preventive and during the demonstration. This Saturday capital of Belarus looked like a war zone created by the police.

Today in three major cities of Belarus – Minsk, Mogilev and Grodno – people took the streets protesting against government attempts to collect tax off the unemployed (details of the story HERE). In Minsk, demonstrations managed to gather more that 1 500 people, in Mogilev and Grodno 1 000 each. These are the biggest protests those cities have seen in decades.

Alexei Gaskarov: Many People Ask Whether I Am Going to Take up Politics. But What Politics Are There Nowadays?

Olesya Gerasimenko
Snob
November 1, 2016

Between 1st and 10th of July, international days of solidarity for political prisoners of Putin's police state took place in 22 cities of 10 different countries.

Within days of  actions with the anarchists and anti-fascists imprisoned in Russia actions in the city of Malmyo in the south of the country and in at the youth festival  "Peace & Love Festivalen"  in the city of Burlenge have taken place.

In Malmyo on the building opposite to the central railway station two banners have been hung out: Destroy police stay (Down with a police state) and Free Putins's prisoners (Freedom to Putin's prisoners).

From 1 to July 10, 2016, a call to action in solidarity with anarchists and antifascists imprisoned-e-s in Russia was made by the Anarchist Black Cross of Moscow. Indeed, the political and repressive situation in Russia is very hard for our comrades fighting for anarchism and fascism (and more generally for all those fighting for human rights), and many of them found themselves es imprisoned in high security prisons or labor camps because of their activism, often condemned es for terrorism or violence.

After Tel Aviv, Helsinki joined the solidarity campaign. A picket in the center of the city was organised. 1st of July, in the opposite side of the railway station, around 10 anarchists stood with a banner "Freedom to Crimean prisoners" (Vapaus Krimin vangeille) with pictures of Oleg Sentsov and Alexandr Kolchenko, and "Freedom for all political prisoners" (in English). Few hundred leaflets were spread.

July 2nd, in Simferopol near the FSB and Crimean prosecutor’s offices activists held pickets as a part of International Days of Solidarity with political anarchist and anti-fascist prisoners. Authorities had not confirmed pickets, and police had been at the venue.

Despite these facts, activists uncovered placards near the FSB office. After 20 minutes of quarrels with the police, activists decided to change their position and met Crimean prosecutor’s office with a single picket.

In the Spanish capital Madrid, anarchists and anti-fascists joined the campaign of solidarity with political prisoners in Russia

Friday July 1st hung a large banner at the front of squatted social center and self-managed "The Casika" (Mostoles, Madrid), the goal to make visible the situation of anarchists and anti-fascists imprisoned comrades in Russia !!! also we inform interested with a dossier on paper!

Against state repression, international solidarity !!! Down the prison walls!

Vladimir Putin will visit Finland on friday 1th of July 2016. Conflict in Ukraine is still going on, in year 2016 only more than 600 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and wounded in ceasefire violations. Both parts of the conflicts have been reluctant to fulfill their responsibilities under Minsk II treaty. Vladimir Putin admitted presence of Russian troops last December, and he is one of the persons directly involved in the continuation of the bloodshed, and bears personal responsibility for human rights violations in occupied Ukrainian territory.

Russian authorities have upped the ante in their pressure on anarchists from “Autonomous Action” movement as of late – this includes a new prisoner charged with the Bolotnaya Square case, Dmitry Buchenkov,

"OVD-INFO" (russian NGO which observes police repressions) has found photos of Bolotnaya Square on May 6, 2012. In the center the person in black "which in Investigative committee (Russian analog of FBI) is considered to be Dmitry Buchenkov". According to Buchenkov's companions, it is obviouslu another person. Any person who has seen Dmitry Buchenkov at least once, would understand that there is different person on this photo.

Imagine the following situation. Due to a strike, public transportation is paralyzed all over the country. Some restaurants and shops shut their doors and 30,000 people are gathered in Helsinki to oppose the current cabinet’s austerity measures, despite of wind and rain. This (18th of September - trans.) is the first joint demonstration by all the confederations of labor unions in Finland since the last depression 24 years ago. “And now we are here again” is said on stage at the demonstration.

We flowed among the water and our co-demonstrators to the mass demonstration at the central railway station in Helsinki. We were there to oppose the redistribution of income from the poor and the middle income workers to the rich, and from employees to corporations planned by the cabinet of prime-minister Sipilä. There were more than 30,000 of us.

Mannerheimintie 5 B 7. krs. 

Food will be served from 4pm and from 4.30 we'll show a new documentary film about Strangeways's prison riot (1h), discussion afterwards. There's also a possibility to write support letters to prisoners. Welcome!

Kupoli is unfortunately not very accesible.

MENU
Pea soup
Oven pancake with jam
Green salad

Coffee, tea, bread etc.

Today, Saturday the 29th August 2015, we participated in the international solidarity week and went around with few people in Helsinki demanding freedom for Aleksander Kolchenko and Oleg Sentsov, who got really long prison sentences few days ago.

Below the text from our leaflets, which we were spreading in Finnish, English and Russian.

- Helsinki Anarchist Black Cross

Free Kolchenko and Sentsov!

Disturbances lecture series 18th of October: Movement against austerity — which way forward?

In Kupoli, Uusi ylioppilastalo, Mannerheimintie 5 B 7th floor on September 12th. 

Doors open 6 PM, Lecture 6:30 PM.

A historical movement has emerged against austerity policy of Sipilä government, and demonstrations during summer of 2015 have been biggest in Finland for decades. However, change of politics demands change of the government, how could this be reached?

International Day of Solidarity with Antifascist Prisoners
Saturday, July 25, 2015

Antifascists fight against those who—in the government or in the streets—dream of imposing their fascist and other Far Right nationalist nightmares on the rest of us. Throughout the world, Islamophobic, anti-Semitic, anti-immigrant, and racist bigotries are on the rise. Antifas are on the frontline in confronting these reactionary politics, and we will not forget our comrades imprisoned in the course of this struggle.