London memorial protest for Russian anti-fascist

ANTI-FASCISTS in London are holding a memorial protest for a murdered Russian comrade.

A post on UK Indymedia announced that on Saturday 25th February activists will be laying a wreath at the International Brigades Memorial, Jubilee Gardens, London SE1 at 1pm to commemorate the fallen comrade.

It adds: "On the 9th of February 2012, a caretaker at the 'FIAN' institute found the body of 21-year old Anarchist & Antifascist Nikita Kalin.

"He had been stabbed 61 times, suffered a head wound and multiple fractured ribs. Police arrested a suspect in connection with the murder, a nazi activist, who had been found with Nikita's blood on his clothing. However, fascists seldom work alone.

"Due to the Police's handling of the case, Russian Antifascists believe the Police will attempt a cover-up, as is often the case in Russia. Despite this, the suspect has already hired a lawyer.

"Nikita's family and friends have a lawyer from a human rights organisation, but they still need money to help pay for the funeral. If you cannot make it to the memorial demonstration, please consider donating to the funeral fund via Moscow Anarchist Black Cross: http://wiki.avtonom.org/en/index.php/Donate

"Let's show Nikita's family and friends that they are not alone in the struggle, that we will never let fascism force us into submission and obedience.

"Bring flags, banners and placards . Never surrender to the fascist scum! We encourage all antifascists and radicals to join us."

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Police forged 'anarchist' papers

RUSSIAN anti-fascists and anarchists from Nizhny Novgorod are calling for global solidarity in their battle against a police prosecution based on crudely forged papers.

Crucial pieces of so-called evidence were planted during police searches, they say, during which a great number of procedural violations were committed - including the fact that most of the accused were altogether absent when their apartments were searched.

"Thus, during a police search of the apartment of one of the accused, who was not home at the time, the official witnesses (who are required to be present under Russian law) sat outside the closed door of the apartment while the police, who had entered through a window, did as they pleased in the empty apartment.

"The alleged IDs contain a crude spelling error (it would be odd if leftist activists had spelled the word “anarchy” wrong).

"The charter of this 'organization', which was likewise planted by police during these searches, stipulates a hierarchical structure, unconditional submission to the leader, and even punishment for disobedient members.

"These 'rules' are, of course, incompatible with leftist views and with the ideals of liberty and equality that our comrades espouse.

"The authorities have ignored all the outrageous violations of human rights committed by the political police, and they refuse to acknowledge the clear fabrications committed in this criminal investigation.

"Our only hope is the pressure of public opinion, international attention to the case, and widespread media coverage. On March 16–18, 2012, we call for days of coordinated actions in solidarity with the Nizhny Novgorod anti-fascists."

The dissidents are also asking for money to pay lawyers - at least $3,000. Details of how to donate can be found at http://avtonom.org/node/17032.

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Moscow anarchists take to streets

THE ROLE of Russian anarchists in the recent anti-Putin protests in Moscow has been outlined in an article on libcom.org

Despite being picked out for attention by Putin's police, they managed to form a vocal and effective block on December 24 as an estimated crowd of 120,000 protested against corruption and vote-rigging.

Almost all the speakers at a makeshift assembly were unanimous that the official 'opposition',  who consider themselves the ideologues of the protest movement, just want to get into power and do not intend to defend the interests of ordinary people.

It was unlikely that any number of peaceful meetings would lead to radical changes. People could only defend their rights by fighting against the state and capital, and building around libertarian ideas, insisted the anarchists.

The anarchists barracked 'opposition' oligarch Prokhorov when he took to the main podium, calling for  "the power of millions, not the millionaires".

After 16 hours, when some protesters began to disperse,  a column of anarchists and anti-fascists joined together with a group of feminists, LGBT activists and individual representatives of the organized left-wing organizations and moved closer to the stage.

The anarchists chanted slogans such as "Freedom, equality, anarcho-communism," "Higher, higher, black flag, the state is the chief enemy," "Fascism shall not pass!", "Our country - all of humanity!", "All politics - crooks and thieves," "Our candidate - self-government", "Down with fascism and capitalism" and "The path to freedom is revolution!".

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Russian anarchists torch police car and call for uprising

RUSSIAN anarchists have torched a police car and called for a radical uprising against the regime.

Says a statement from the Conspiracy of Cells of Fire, Russian Cell, FAI/IRF, posted on the 325 website on Friday "After December the 4th (election day in Russia), when the Russian state deployed numerous police and military forces in Moscow and common people took to the streets to shout 'Enough is enough' in the face of cops and corrupt bureaucrats in all major Russian cities, anarchists were engaged in assembly work, organizing and propaganda.

"Last week saw several clashes of common people with police (anarchists took part in those fights): 1 & 2

"This 'popular dissent' is expressed not only in Moscow, but in St. Petersburgh, Nizhnii Novgorod, Tyumen and other big cities.

"System opposition called for a mass rally on December the 10th. Them and the authoritarian lefties try to come on top in this situation and direct the malcontent towards liberal reformism and pacifist practices.

"Tomorrow will be the day we’ve been fighting hard to see coming. Tomorrow is the day that the Russian regime anticipates with fear.

"Being not the least among those who helped build-up the situation, we continue to push for a more radical character of popular uprising.

"On 09/12/2011 we torched a police car. Solidarity with all active insurgents, solidarity to all revolutionary anarchists in prisons!

"Push for anarchist revolution!"

Occupy Red Square!

Live streaming of protest in Russia can be seen at http://www.ridus.ru/

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Russians revolt against corrupt regime - video

THOUSANDS of angry Russians have taken to the streets in Moscow and St Petersburg in protest at the corrupt Putin regime.

The ruling United Russia party won less than half the votes in this week's elections - and there are claims that even this was only achieved with the help of vote-fiddling.

Protesters in Moscow tried to march on the Central Elections Commission near the Kremlin, but were stopped by riot police and taken away in buses.

The photo below shows anarchists burning flares while protesting in the Russian capital with a banner declaring: "You were cheated!".

As one newspaper report says: "Many voters, fed up with widespread corruption, refer to United Russia as the party of swindlers and thieves and resent the huge gap between the rich and poor."

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Moscow police station is bombed

A BOMB has gone off at a Moscow police station, as Russian anarchists fight back against state brutality.

Reports Russia Today: "The blast shattered windows in the department and damaged several cars allegedly belonging to officers.

"Moscow police have become targets for attacks lately, as signs of co-ordination appear in the chain of recent bombings and arson actions against police departments and officers.

"Experts are yet to determine the type of device and motives of the attack, but it seems very similar to other recent attacks on Moscow police.

"Last Friday, a device exploded near a police department in the city’s north, shattering windows and causing minor damage to the walls of the building. The bomb was allegedly thrown by a passer-by who managed to run away after the action.

"Assailants also set fire to a number of police vehicles parked near the central police department of the Moscow satellite city, Khimky, last Tuesday. Nobody was hurt, but several cars were torched.

"In June another bombing of the road police office was carried out in Moscow’s outskirts. A group dubbed 'Anarchist Guerilla' has claimed responsibility for that attack and uploaded a video of the action to the web.

"Operatives of the anarchist group have already gained attention on the internet, targeting parked vehicles and carrying out small 'terror attacks' on police departments.

"They say they aim to protest brutal actions by police officers, who break laws, use civilian cars as 'shields' while in hot pursuit of car thieves and cover for VIP drivers, allowing them to violate driving rules.

"In their attacks, the 'guerillas' use hand-made explosives of relatively small capacity which are never intended to cause injury anybody, the activists claim.

"On their web page, the 'Anarchist Guerilla' manifesto claims they want to change society so that people will have more freedom and not be 'just puppets in somebody’s hands'. They plan to organize various minor 'terror actions' with no goal to kill or wound anybody, but rather to express public opinion."

"In a web self-manual, the activists explain how to produce a simple explosive device at home and list the best ways to use them against police and civic workers. The group’s website has inspired separate attacks on police in the Russian capital, some of which were appreciated by the leaders of the group.

"For the moment, police do not believe the attacks are co-ordinated by just one group and qualify the assaults as simple hooliganism, not linking them all into one case."

Khimki hostage released in Russia

KHIMKI hostage Alexei Gaskarov has been released from police custody by a Russian municipal court.

On July 28 this year more than two hundred young antifascists and anarchists carried out a spontaneous demonstration outside the town administration building in Khimki, a suburb of Moscow.

They were protesting in defence of the Khimki Forest, under threat from plans for a toll motorway.

The demonstration, during which several windows were broken, received a great deal of public attention.

The authorities responded with a wave of repression. The day after the demonstration, two well-known social activists, Alexei Gaskarov and Maxim Solopov, were arrested.

A statement on October 22 posted on Infoshop news says: "Judge Svetlana Galanova made the decision to release Gaskarov on his own recognizance, ignoring an appeal from the prosecution to leave him in police custody.

"Alexei reacted by saying that he had not expected this decision because he has no faith in the Russian justice system.

"The prosecution presented no new arguments to support its request to keep Gaskarov in police custody, with the exception of a report issued by the FSB.

"The report states that Alexei Gaskarov has been a member of the Antifa IYA (apparently, 'informal youth association') since 2007; that he has extensive contacts, including with foreign countries, which is corroborated by his multiple trips abroad; that he has participated in and organized unsanctioned protest actions; and that the last time he was detained was on March 20, 2010, during the Day of Rage protest action.

"In his testimony, Alexei stated that antifascism is not a crime, that his antifascist views cannot be cause to place him under arrest, and that his trips abroad are his own personal affair.

"Gaskarov told the court that he was present at the March 20 Day of Rage protest in his capacity as a correspondent for the Institute for Collective Action (IKD) and that after his arrest he had been acquitted of all charges by a justice of the peace.

"Gaskarov had likewise traveled to Khimki on July 28 as an IKD correspondent, which was confirmed in a letter submitted by the institute’s directors.

"Civil rights activist Lev Ponomaryov, who participated in the hearing as a counsel for the defense, likewise voiced his bewilderment over the fact that the prosecution had portrayed antifascist convictions as a negative character factor, whereas in reality society should be proud of such people because they protect it from fascism.

"According to Ponomaryov, it is a very good thing that such people are resolute in their convictions.

"The court heard testimony from Andrei Demidov, deputy director of the Institute for Collective Action. Demidov confirmed that Gaskarov had been dispatched to Khimki as an IKD correspondent.

"Georgy Semyonovsky, Gaskarov’s lawyer, reminded the court that five well-respected citizens — Lev Ponomaryov, executive director of the For Human Rights movement; civil rights activist Sergei Kovalyov and Liudmila Alexeeva; and State Duma deputies Ilya Ponomaryov and Oleg Shein – had agreed to vouch for his client’s reliability.

"On October 18, the Khimki Municipal Court likewise released Maxim Solopov from police custody on his own recognizance. Like Gaskarov, Solopov has been charged with disorderly conduct for his alleged participation in a protest action outside the Khimki town hall.

"The Campaign for the Release of the Khimki Hostages congratulates Maxim Solopov and Alexei Gaskarov on their conditional release from police custody, but believes that it has not achieved its goals and intends to keep fighting until all charges against them have been dropped.

For more information, contact:

Tel: +7 915-053-5912
Email: info@khimkibattle.org
Website: http://khimkibattle.org"

Barcelona solidarity for Khimki battle

ANARCHISTS in Barcelona have carried out solidarity actions in support of activists in Russia and Belarus who are fighting to save the Khimki forest.

A statement published by Angry News From Around the World says: "The night of Monday, October 18, we wanted to make a small gesture of solidarity with anarchist comrades of Khimki (Russia) and Minsk (Belarus), imprisoned by their respective States in August 2010.

"The gesture consisted of moving in three locations linked to the Russian State and its commercial interests.

"Profiting our friend darkness, we went to the Russian consulate, to the headquarters of the Russian airlines the Centre for Culture and Russian language in Barcelona.

"We threw paint-filled eggs against these dumps and sprayed slogans in solidarity with the comrades.

"Death to all patria, border states, capitalism and every form of authority."

Global protests for Khimki hostages

PROTESTS have been held all over the world calling for the Khimki hostages to be released.

Events in support of Gaskarov and Solopov were also held in St Petersburg, Moscow (pictured), Irkutsk, Tyumen, Kaliningrad, Kiev, London, Paris, Dusseldorf, Stockholm, New York and Seattle, among other cities.

The St Petersburg Times report explains the two activists were imprisoned after an anarchists’ protest in front of the headquarters of the Khimki administration, which is instrumental in destroying the Khimki Forest to make way for Prime Minister Vladimir Putin-backed toll highway project to connect Moscow and St. Petersburg.

On Sunday, an estimated 150 St. Petersburg anarchists, Antifa activists, environmentalists and residents gathered to demand the release of Alexei Gaskarov and Maxim Solopov, who were arrested a day after the much-talked-about July 28 demonstration in Khimki in which several hundred participants firing pellet guns and setting off flares left graffiti on the walls of the administration building and broke several windows.

The protest in Khimki was a surprise for the authorities, who have deployed massive police forces to the forest, where preservationists held a vigil to put pressure on them.

The few police patrols at the scene drove away, apparently discouraged by the number of protesters, and did not detain anyone.

Gaskarov and Solopov, high-profile Antifa activists, were detained in Moscow a day after the July 28 rally in what their fellow activists describe as an act of revenge.

Their guilt has not been proven. Charged with disorderly behavior, they face up to seven years in prison.

"It’s not that they were targeted by chance; they were targeted deliberately, because they were anti-fascist movement activists who did not hide their faces, appearing constantly on television, at rallies and other social events,” said Dmitry, an activist with Autonomous Action and an organizer of the St. Petersburg rally. He asked for his last name to be withheld.

Because the police failed to detain anybody during the demo when the Khimki administration building was damaged, they wanted to arrest somebody as a scapegoat,” he said.

“They were there, but the police are trying to present them as the event’s organizers. It’s not clear why they’ve been held in prison for two months; nobody gets put in pre-trial custody on charges of disorderly behavior.”

Gaskarov and Solopov are not allowed to see their relatives, Dmitry said, adding that the police investigation has been declared “closed,” forcing the activists’ first lawyer Mikhail Trepashkin to resign over the investigators’ demand that he sign a written oath promising not to speak about the case.

“Trepashkin had to resign in order to help the public campaign for their release,” Dmitry said.

Activists say that the rally in which the administration building in Khimki was damaged was held when they felt that all other measures taken to save the forest during the three-year struggle had proved ineffective in stopping construction.

“There has been a struggle which lasted for three years against the corruptors, the crooks who were destroying the Khimki Forest, but it didn’t yield any result — quite the opposite, several ecologists and journalists have suffered, such as Mikhail Beketov who has been left permanently crippled after an attack on him, while the OMON special task police and neo-Nazis have been deployed against the environmentalists,” Dmitry said.

“Having tried all methods, there were people who decided that they must show their strength, if the authorities can’t understand any other language.”

The campaign’s rallies were held between Sept. 17 and 20 in anticipation of a court hearing on the activists’ case due later this month.

“A wave of repressions against anti-fascists has begun,” Dmitry said.

“Several people are on a federal wanted list and have had to go into hiding or leave the country, while all the young people who participated in the rallies and were included in the Center E databases (Center for the Prevention of Extremism) have been visited by uniformed and plainclothes men.”

Dmitry said that several activists were beaten and injured during interrogations in Moscow and the Moscow Oblast. “The campaign is also against the repressions that are raging now, mostly in Moscow,” he said.

President Dmitry Medvedev ordered a halt to construction of the Khimki highway on Aug. 26, after a substantial portion of the forest had already been cut down. Tree-felling could be resumed at any moment.

Information about the campaign is available in several languages at www.khimkibattle.org.

London protest for Khimki

A PROTEST is to be held in London as part of the global solidarity campaign over the battle to protect Khimki Forest.

Says a posting on Indymedia: "A picket of the Russian Embassy in London is to be held on Monday September 20th.

"The protest is part of a series of international actions in defence of the Khimki hostages. These are two grassroots antifascist activists (Alexei Gaskarov and Maxim Solopov) who are currently in custody in Moscow on fabricated charges facing the prospect of very heavy prison sentences.

" "The campaign they are part of put a temporary halt to construction of a planned Moscow-Petersburg toll highway through the Khimki Forest.

"In essence, they have been taken hostage by local authorities and police officials. If they are tried and convicted they could face seven years in prison.

"Meanwhile, police and other law enforcement agencies continue their hunt against other activists, especially those with connections to the antifascist movement.

"Over the past three years, forest defenders have suffered numerous arrests and other forms of harassment by local police, as well as physical attacks carried out by 'anonymous' hired thugs, including neo-Nazis.

"These actions by the Khimki administration and its partners are explained by the significant commercial interest they have in seeing that the highway construction project is completed.

"The next pre-trial detention hearing for the two young men is scheduled for late September. International Days of Action are taking place to demand their release.

" Our main slogans are Freedom for Alexei Gaskarov and Maxim Solopov! and End the Persecution of Forest Defenders and Antifascists!

For more details, go to the Khimki Battle website.

Picket the Russian Embassy, 13 Kensington Palace Gardens, from 5.45pm, Monday 20th September. High St Ken tube. Banners and placards welcome.

Release the Khimki hostages!

A CALL has gone out for international solidarity with the defenders of Khimki Forest in Russia.

On July 28 this year more than two hundred young antifascists and anarchists carried out a spontaneous demonstration outside the town administration building in Khimki, a suburb of Moscow.

They were protesting in defence of the Khimki Forest, under threat from plans for a toll motorway.

The demonstration, during which several windows were broken, received a great deal of public attention.

The authorities responded with a wave of repression. The day after the demonstration, two well-known social activists, Alexei Gaskarov and Maxim Solopov, were arrested.

They are now threatened with up to seven years in prison for disorderly conduct, although there is no evidence of their complicity in illegal activities.

Meanwhile, the police continue to hunt down and harass other activists, especially those involved in the antifascist movement.

Says the Campaign for the Release of the Khimki Hostages: "After the July 28 demonstration, the Russian police and secret services unleashed an unprecedented dragnet against antifascists.

"People who had even just once come to the attention of the Centre for Extremism Prevention and FSB for their involvement with the antifascist movement have been forcibly taken in for questioning.

"In several cases they have been subjected to harsh physical coercion in order to compel them to give the testimony required by investigators.

"In addition, illegal searches have been carried out in their apartments. All these actions on the part of law enforcement authorities are violations of Russian and international law.

"Frightened by the numerous and growing protests against the clear-cutting of the Khimki Forest, the authorities have finally made concessions by agreeing to review the advisability of the planned route for the toll highway. But this does not mean victory.

"Alexei Gaskarov and Maxim Solopov are still in police custody for no reason at all. They are hostages of the authorities.

"In late September, the next hearing in their case will take place. The judge will decide whether to keep them in police custody pending completion of the investigation and trial.

"Everyone who cares about the fate of these two young men must do everything in their power to see that they are set free. The Campaign for the Release of the Khimki Hostages calls on people around the world to organize days of action on September 17, 18, 19, and 20 to pressure the Russian authorities to release Alexei and Maxim.

"We ask you to hold protests outside of Russian Federation embassies, consulates, trade missions, and cultural centers, as well as at public events and concerts connected to Russia.

"We also ask you to send faxes, e-mails, and protest letters to the court, the prosecutor’s office, and the country’s political leadership. In the very near future we will inform you of addresses where you can send these protests as well as more details about the ongoing repressions in Russia. "

Rock star joins Khimki Forest battle

A RUSSIAN rock star is backing a campaign against a new motorway through ancient Khimki Forest.

A few weeks ago anarchists stormed a town hall in protest, pelting it with smoke grenades and fireworks and painted slogans on the walls.

Now the campaign has become a national cause celebre.

Reports The Independent: "Hundreds of Russian police surrounded a central Moscow square yesterday as a prominent critic of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin led a protest concert against a road-building scheme that is becoming a focal point for demonstrations against the Kremlin.

"More than 1,000 people gathered at Pushkin Square to protest against a new road that will go through Khimki Forest just outside the capital, part of a new highway between Moscow and St Petersburg.

"Organisers of yesterday's meeting had planned a protest concert by Yuri Shevchuk, one of Russia's best-known rock musicians, who confronted Mr Putin about democratic freedoms this year during a televised meeting.

"But police surrounded the square and refused to allow any equipment in, forcing the singer to sing without a microphone through a barely functioning loudspeaker, from a makeshift stage.

"'Khimki Forest has become a symbol,' said Mr Shevchuk before the concert. 'It doesn't matter where you live. Everywhere there are environmental problems, and soulless bureaucrats who do all they can to make sure we have no fields, no forests and no rivers. They destroy it all and turn it into money to line their own pockets.'

"Activists say that there are several alternative routes for the highway that would avoid the forest. The long-running protest has led to several activists being detained, facing court cases and fines.

"'All we want to do is breathe clean air,' shouted Evgeniya Chirikova, one of the group's most prominent activists, at yesterday's meeting. 'Can you hear us, Mr President? What else do we have to do to make ourselves heard?'

"Ms Chirikova has been detained by police on several occasions, and after emerging from a courtroom three weeks ago was bundled into an unmarked car by police and driven away. She was later released.

"Yesterday, Shevchuk sang songs including one called 'When the oil runs out', which talks about a bright future for Russia when the country stops relying on exports of natural resources. In May, he confronted Mr Putin during a televised meeting between the prime minister and cultural figures in St Petersburg.

Shevchuk complained that Russia was ruled by 'dukes and princes with sirens on their cars', and asked Mr Putin if he really wanted a society with real democracy where 'people stop being afraid of policemen on the street'.

In one of the most frank discussions that Mr Putin has faced in his decade in power, Mr Shevchuk also asked why police break up opposition rallies brutally. A visibly irritated Mr Putin said that 'without a normal democratic development this country will have no future', and said protests should be allowed, within reason. But this did not stop police from dispersing, with their usual vigour, a large protest rally in Moscow a few days later."

Russian anarchists attack town hall to save forest

RUSSIAN anarchists stormed a town hall in the latest battle in a longstanding war to protect Khimki forest from a motorway.

In dramatic scenes, they pelted it with smoke grenades and fireworks and painted slogans on the walls.

The Moscow Times says the attack "left the building with broken windows and covered in graffiti reading 'Save the Russian Forest', according to Antifa.ru, a web site for anarchists and anti-fascists.

"No one was injured because the staff had left for the day, the Khimki administration said in a statement, adding that the building suffered “considerable damage,” particularly to an art gallery it housed.

"Security guards present in the building did not resist the assailants, whose number was put at 300 by Antifa.ru."

Police described the incident as 'an insolent bandit attack'. A report on Infoshop says local residents supported the protesters' actions.

Campaigners point out on an Aljazeera video that the motorway could run next to the existing railway line, but was being deliberately rerouted through the forest in order to open up land for commercial development.

Russians back anti-police insurgents

ANTI-POLICE insurgents in Russia's far east have the backing of an astonishing 70 per cent of the population, it has been reported.

The Guardian reports that detectives are using tanks and helicopters to comb the region's coniferous forests and swamps for the gang of avenging outlaws.

The group shot dead a policeman last month in the village of Rakitnoye in the Primorye Krai region. They wounded three officers in two further attacks near the town of Spassk, officials say – shooting up a patrol and ambushing a car.

The gang's leader is said to be 32-year-old Roman Muromtsev, a former army officer and Chechen war veteran, who sent a warning letter to police last month. In it, he said local people had grown utterly fed up with police corruption and lawlessness. Unless the force mended its criminal ways, he would be compelled to act as a 'people's avenger', he threatened.

The outlaws made good their threat last month, setting fire to a police station in the region's Yakovlev district. They have reportedly seized uniforms, flak jackets and radio communications equipment. The gang are armed with automatic weapons, explosives and even grenades, officials claim.

In a defiant message posted on the web, Muromtsev called on fellow Russians to join his "war" against police "evil", adding that he was prepared to sacrifice his life for the cause. The authorities have now launched a special operation – dispatching armoured vehicles into the forests and flagging down and searching cars on federal highways.

Adds The Guardian: "The gang's exploits have gripped the Russian media. More shocking, however, is the public's reaction – with 70% of Russians, according to one radio poll, describing the gang members as 'partisans' or 'Robin Hoods'. Only 30% considered the police killers to be bandits, the poll revealed. One blogger even compared them to Che Guevara.

"Russia's far east has seen growing social unrest and numerous demonstrations against federal and regional authorities. Most of the gang members, said to number between five and 20, come from desperately poor local villages."