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Do these comrades really take the stuff they publish from the
pro-Russian ideologues like Kagarlitsky seriously? Today ZNet published
an article on Links written by one Viktor Shapinov, a Borotba member (or
sympathizer, I am not sure.)
http://links.org.au/node/3903
During the initial phase of the Euromaidan, participation in it by the
popular masses was minimal. Those who were present during the first days
were mainly employees and activists of pro-Western NGOs and members of
neo-Nazi groups (the organisation Svoboda [“Freedom”] and other bodies
that subsequently made up the Right Sector). The Euromaidan took on a
genuinely mass character only after the demonstrators were driven from
the Maidan Square on the night of November 30, 2013. This assault was
shown live-to-air on all the oligarch-controlled television channels.
Thereafter, their news programs broadcast endless clips featuring people
who had been beaten, whose heads had been bloodied, and so forth.
---
In other words, if television hadn't exploited an implicitly provocative
incident akin to the anti-Maduro protests in Venezuela, there never
would have been a Euromaidan.
But what caused Euromaidan was not police brutality (although it
certainly played a role) but Yanukovich's reneging on the EU. Shapinov
mentions the EU but only as a goal of the pro-Western oligarchy. But for
many Ukrainians, integration with Europe meant a break with oligarchic
rule. Furthermore, the Euromaidan revolt took on more the character of a
revolt against oligarchic rule in general rather than a longing for the
EU or NATO.
For your edification, here is an article by Shapinov with a reply by
Sergii Kutnii:
http://www.labournetaustria.at/v-shapinov-anti-fascist-campaign-in-ukraine-h-dworczak/#Kutnii
Hi comrades!
I have to warn you – this letter by Shapinov is full of Borot6ba’s
cynical self-promotion.
The real situation is more complicated and doesn’t resemble “Borotba
being at the edge of anti-fascist struggle”.
For example, Borotba was absent at the December 8 LGBT rights demo.
Moreover, they never had a principled position against homophobia.
I am one of the activists attacked by Nazis on December 8. Borotba
hadn’t given a single word in our support!
And now they are referring to December 8 and homophobia!
All they managed to do was one demonstration near the parliament focused
at parliamentary representattion of “Svoboda” and again avoiding such
hot topics as homophobia.
But if anti-fascism doesn’t mean standing against the fascist xenophobia
in solidarity with oppressed groups like LGBT people then it’s devoid of
any meaning.
Ukrainian anti-fascists really need solidarity but this solidarity
should acknowledge diversity of positions and groups here. Perhaps
someone from EU who has time should travel here and meet local activists
to develop better understanding of the situation.
Comradely
Sergii Kutnii
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