>From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Date: Mon, 7 Feb 2000 02:59:47 EST > >RUSSIA INFO-LIST - >from International Solidarity with Workers in Russia - ISWoR >**************************************************** > >On Saturday 5 February, an antiwar demonstration took place in Moscow���s >Pushkin square. The demonstration was called jointly by a number of anarchist >and ecologist groups including Anarchist Antiwar Movement, Dikobraz Group, >Ecologist Movement "Rainbow Keepers", Localization Program of >Socio-Ecological Union. > >The Movement for a Workers Party (MWP - Moscow branch, a collective of >socialist groups who have been highly active in most of the recent workers >struggles), and who have called a demonstration against the war later this >month (for which ISWoR has been raising support), attended the demonstration >too with their slogan "If you vote for Putin you vote for war". > >A member of the MWP who was present reported how the demonstrators condemned >"the police state" in Russia, all forms of racism, repressions etc. "They >also spoke about high costs of the Chechen war, about those wounded and >killed, about casualties among women, children, old people. They also >stressed that the war was broken in the interests of the ruling classes and >that poor people are facing the consequencies." > >Because they knew that right-wing elements were included among the organisers >of this demo, the Movement for a Workers Party had decided in advance to >participate with their own separate slogans. Fortunately as already described >much of the slogans and ideas advanced by the other groups were >anti-capitalist and in harmony with the MWP���s own. > >Nevertheless, some right-wing pro-US capital elements were present too. They >raised slogans in defence of Babitsky, the Radio Free Europe journalist who >was the object of media attention worldwide when he disappeared recently in >Chechnya. Radio Free Europe is the notorious right-wing US-funded >broadcasting network which played a major role in promoting McCarthyite >politics in the Soviet Union during the Cold War. One of the original >organisers of the 5 February demo was a group attached to the >Socio-Ecological Union (SEU). The SEU is a major conduit for US capitalist >money aimed at manipulating sincere anarchist and ecologist activists to >serve the economic and strategic interests of US big business against threats >from the Russian capitalist elite, (much of which has become hostile to the >US in the last two years and especially since the US intervention in the >Balkans.) > >Correction: >In a previous Russia Info List message, we mentioned that Zaschita trade >union had voted to participate in the antiwar demo later this month organised >by militant workers. We are now informed that this is an error. Although many >of the union���s most active militants belong to the MWP, (the collective of >groups who have called the demo), nevertheless no official representative of >Zaschita was not present at the meeting in which this decision was made. > >We are further informed that although Oleg Shein and other prominent >activists of Zaschita have publically opposed the war, nevertheless the union >itself has yet to take an official position. We apologise for any confusion >caused. > >Lisa Taylor > >*********************************************************** >The RUSSIA INFO-LIST - >puts out information and analysis from a wide range of sources. Messages >posted to Russia Info-List do not necessarily reflect the views of ISWoR. >We are a broad united front of individuals and organisations internationally >who support Russian workers struggles, who oppose the IMF-Yeltsinite >privatisation project, who oppose racism and fascism, and who want to >build international solidarity between workers of all nations. > >If you have something you would like to distribute on Russia Info-List, or >want to help in our practical solidarity work, contact: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Box R, 46 Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8RZ, England >ISWoR website - http://members.aol.com/ISWoR/english/index.html > __________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi ___________________________________ [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe/unsubscribe messages mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________
