Subj: Spartacist & All Russia Congress of Strike Committees
Date: 05/04/99
To the Samara Strike Committee
To the All Russian Congress of Strike Committees
Dear Grigory Isayev,
Dear Viktor Alekseevich Kotel'nikov,
The Samara Strike Committee has made an international Appeal in
English (see it in full below) for funds to help finance an All Russia
Congress of Strike Committee’s on 17th April this year. This is a very
important initiative that must be supported. But from the point of view of
the international working class giving solidarity and funds, there are some
big question marks. The whole Appeal (in the English version) appears to be a
front organisation for the Spartacists (International Communist League).
The Sparts are small international sectarian grouping that rarely
collaborates with other political tendencies and who are regarded as a pariah
by most other Marxist tendencies internationally. I suspect strongly that the
Samara Strike Committee is not aware of this. This will do them great harm
when it comes to international support.
FIRSTLY the Samara strikers web site in English has direct links to
only two other web sites: The Homepage of John Clements (French Spartacist
web site); and that of Bob Malecki in Sweden (another Spartacist
politically). This leads directly to the Sparts international web site.
SECONDLY, on the Samara Appeal there is an appeal for the money to be
sent to "international representatives", Bob Malecki (Spartoid in Sweden) to
cover Europe; and Bilenkin - another Spart I believe - to cover the USA; and
lastly by Swift (money transfer) direct to the Samara Strike Committee.
THIRDLY, both Malecki and Bilenkin have distributed this Appeal
widely and internationally by e-mail (and obviously in different languages
and in the Sparts own press) - but having first REMOVED the request for money
to go direct to the Samara Strike Fund, at the end of the e-mail (see
original below the double dotted lines). On Malecki’s web site, you will find
it removed also. So it seems the Sparts are directing all the money via
themselves. Also on Malecki’s web site there is an appeal for money for
himself personally, which differs in no respect whatsoever from the appeal
for the Samara Strike Committee. This is not an accusation of theft, and we
must give Malecki the benefit of the doubt on this as it is an easy mistake
to make. But it is bad political judgment and organizational behavior.
I think the Spartacists should collaborate with others internationally in
supporting this All Russia Strike Committee Conference. There needs to be a
constant campaign against sectarianism and abuse and misuse of connections
with workers in struggle.
Yours for honesty, Ikcelam Brown
THE ORIGINAL APPEAL
To the International Working Class
The Samara Strike Committee--the host of the Second All-Russian Congress of
Strike Committees--had to postpone the beginning of the congress from March
28 to April 17 due to the lack of money to transport the delegates of the
congress to the city of Samara (the Volga river).
The coffers of our most militant working class organizations are empty. Our
workers cannot fill them. They do not get paid their wages. Their families
starve. Yet without some minimal financial resources the desperately needed
higher level of class organization cannot be reached. This is why we, the
organizers of the congress, have no choice but to appeal to the international
working class, its organizations and all progressive people around the world
to help us in making this event happen.
Why do we need this congress now?
We need it because all illusions that the anti-capitalist working class
movement in our country can be organized from the outside, by the existing
communist parties have been proven to be nothing but illusions.
We can now clearly see that the organized communist movement ("komdvizhenie")
formed and led by the remnants of the former CPSU has broken with Marxism,
with the ideas and ideals of communism , has broken
with the working class and has become either the agent of the nationalist
bourgeoisie and the state-capitalist bureaucracy or has ossified into
sectarian, self-centered formations--politically sterile and hopelessly
removed from the actual struggles of Russian proletariat.
The accelerated disintegration and decay of the communist parties in our
country has been accompanied by the profound weakening of the physical and
moral strength of the working class under the terrible blows of the
cannibalistic regime of capitalist restoration who now denies to us even
the means of bare subsistence, of mere reproduction of our physical
capacities to work, which even the slaveholders of the past did not deny to
their slaves. We have been driven millennia back to the conditions of
primitive want, of pure, unmitigated barbarism.
But the modern barbarism of the bourgeois society breeds fascism. The
self-appointed "saviors" of workers and the nation are already marching in
the streets of Moscow and other cities brandishing swastikas under the
slogans "Russia for Russians!" and "Russians Are Supermen!" And they are not
alone. They find sympathizers among the members of the monstrous apparatus of
repression created by Yeltsin's regime to defend those who stole from us our
factories, among broad sections of the petty bourgeoisie, among many
intellectuals, and, yes, even among not a few workers, demoralized by the
abysmal conditions of their existence.
We now stand alone against the barbarism of 'liberal' capitalism and the
rising barbarism of its fascist twin. We now know that no savior will come to
our help. We must save ourselves. We must save society. We must save the
country. We can do this only by making it OUR society, OUR country, OUR
dictatorship--the Dictatorship of the Proletariat.
This is why we need this congress, the congress of strike committees who
have already proven their will to fight in the battles of the rail war in the
spring of 1998, in the occupation of enterprises, in establishing the
de-facto power of the workers' soviets in a number of towns across Russia.
This is why we believe that we have the right and the duty to ask the
international proletariat to help us now.
All Power To Strike Committees!
Workers of All Countries, Unite!
Donations can be sent
1) by wire to Viktor Alekseevich Kotel'nikov. 443086, Russia, Samara, ul.
Novo-Sadovaya 179, bunker
2) by money order or check to our international representatives
In Europe:
Robert Malecki
Ekenstamsvagen 7
915 32 Robertsfors
Sweden
Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
In USA ($US only):
Vladimir Bilenkin
P.O. Box 5192
Raleigh, NC, 27650-5192
USA
Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Grigory Isayev, Vice-Chairman of the All-Russian Strike Committee
Victor Kotel'nikov, Vice-Chairman of the Samara Strike Committee
E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Web page: http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Senate/7871/
443086, Russia, Samara, ul. Novo-Sadovaya 179, bunker
Tel/fax: (846-2) 352691, 353262.
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You can also transfer money directly to our bank account via SWIFT.
Unfortunately,
this method is costly: a flat $30US fee per one transfer. CLICK HERE to see
the list of intermediary banks in different countries which will transfer
funds via SWIFT to
THE SAVINGS BANK OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
SWIFT CODE: SABRUMM
in favor of
acc. # 30301840700000605400
SAVINGS BANK OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION (SAMARA OFFICE)
SWIFT CODE: SABRRUMMSE1
Sovetskye OSB 6994
Beneficiary's account: 4230184035443040010301
Beneficiary: Viktor Alekseevich Kotel'nikov
Purpose: voluntary gratuitous donation
--- from list [EMAIL PROTECTED] ---
