News and views of the other Russia(n)s
“Come here, citizen!”
“And who are you?”
“I’m an officer of the Russian National Guard.”
“Tell me your name and show me your ID, please.”
“I’m not obliged to tell you my name and show you my ID.”
“Then I’m an officer of the Russian National Guard, too!”
“Show me your ID!”
“I’m not obliged to do it.”
Thanks for the heads-up to Poteshnyi Kopipast via zlaya zashchitnitsa. Translated by the Russian Reader
You can not fight the far right by giving a platform to their friends
Simon Pirani’s Archive
July 25, 2019
The editors of Transform, a socialist journal that aims to strengthen the fight against the far right, are to publish a letter from me protesting their use of an article by Boris Kagarlitsky, a Russian “left” writer who collaborates with fascists and ultra-nationalists.
In 2014, Kagarlitsky energetically supported armed action in eastern Ukraine by Russian forces, mainly ultra-nationalist and fascist volunteers. He also began to cooperate with, and to share platforms with, extreme ideologues of Russian ultra-nationalism and fascism. Antifascists and trade unionists in Russia broke all ties with him. I gave details about Kagarlitsky’s position in 2014–16 in an open letter to the Stop the War campaign here.
Kagarlitsky continues to collaborate with the ultra-nationalists. Earlier this year he addressed a Moscow rally supporting Russia’s claim against Japan to the Kurile Islands, alongside the fascist mercenary Igor Strelkov-Girkin and other ultra-nationalist speakers.
At the same time, Kagarlitsky has never expressed solidarity with the young Russian anti-fascists who have been tortured by the security services and put on trial in the notorious Network case. Antifascists in Russia and internationally have united in a defence campaign around these victims of state repression; Kagarlitsky and his friends have not.
Despite this, Transform published an article by Kagarlitsky—about France, not Russia—in the last issue. This week I wrote to the editors to express concern. One replied, saying that my letter would be published in the next issue, later this year, and that they were “not aware” of Kagarlitsky’s cooperation with the right.
To raise awareness, I have put on line this short statement that you are reading.
This gap in the Transform editors’ knowledge is regrettable. All participants in Russia’s beleaguered antifascist movement know of Kagarlitsky’s high-profile defection. Plenty of material alerting English-language readers to his changed stance was published in 2015–16.
Obviously, this is not just about Russia or about Kagarlitsky. The right-wing populists and fascists, through nationalism and campism, pull “left” demagogues into their orbit more widely. This trend must be understood and fought.
Simon Pirani, 25 July 2019
My thanks to Mr. Pirani for permission to reproduce his statement here. Image courtesy of the Spectator and Getty. // TRR
“Help! We’re suffocating.” A message from Achinsk in Krasnoyarsk Territory in Siberia. Courtesy of instagram.com/ksyushenka_shapotkina and Vedomosti
Smog Has Engulfed Cities in the Urals and Siberia
Vedomosti
July 24, 2019
Nearly 2,000,000 hectares of forest are burning in Siberia and the Russian Far East. Almost no attempt is made to extinguish them since most of the fires are burning in remote areas where the cost of fighting the fires exceeds the cost of the damage they can cause [sic].
Translated by the Russian Reader. For the full album of horrifying photos of smoke-engulfed cities in the Urals and Siberia, click this link.
Ust-Ilimsk, Irkutsk Region (Siberia), Russian Federation. Courtesy of instagram.com/anastasiahaimovskaya and Vedomosti
Krasnoyarsk. Courtesy of instagram.com/nadyapinchuk and Vedomosti
Below, I have reposted a message from my favorite Maoist country swing band, Minneapolis’s The Gated Community.
If you’re a comrade and love country music and live in the Cities (if you live in the Cities, I don’t need to tell you what this means) go see them play a big show at the Parkway Theater on Chicago Avenue. And take your sweetheart and all your friends with you.
This is a song about a gated community entitled “Gated Community,” not a song by The Gated Community. But since they sometimes listen to my advice, I am hoping they will be covering it soon. // TRR
Hi and welcome to Music From Your Heart.
The musical message my heart wants to share with the world is very, very simplistic.
It does not involve complex dialectical or poststructuralist philosophies. It is not about special advanced mediation. And it is not about years and years of study towards a doctoral degree.
This is a simplistic message from the heart. It cuts to the core of what we’re all about.
Deep within the heart of every single person on the planet is a simplistic wisdom. Deep within the heart of every single person is a sense of war. And deep within the heart of every single person is a sense of anxiety.
And the message here is about re-awakening that place within every single person on the planet. That’s why the Music From Your Heart franchise was created.
And we all need reminders to return to that place within. So join the Music From Your Heart Newsletter for these reminders. You’ll get training videos, PDF guides, and updates so you can stay connected with this simplistic message and bring it into your daily life.
Much, much love,
The Gated Community
The Russian Reader 