Russia: Deserter day festival in Moscow 20th - 23rd of February 2004

Festival was organised by Moscow group of Autonomous Action, Food Not Bombs and Indyvideo. Main demands of the festival were "no to war in Chechnya!" and "No to new limitations of deferment and exemption from military service!"

<>Farewell to arms!

Deserter day festival in Moscow 20th - 23rd of February 2004

Festival was organised by Moscow group of Autonomous Action, Food Not Bombsand Indyvideo. Main demands of the festival were "no to war in Chechnya!" and "No to new limitations of defermentand exemption from military service!"

So, the festival got organised. Half of the program went upside down, whatever I saw around was something like moves of the Makhnovist headquarters during the civilwar - through storms, chekist agents and random bands of whites. Clubs, cafes, gallerias, a map of Moscow on the table, electric trains, telephones... somewhere Bashkirianshaving a meeting against police terror, communists - for USSR, liberals - for somethingor against something, Putin running somewhere with flowers... for Chechenyans and Ingushetians - 61st anniversary of the deportations.

Not to forget Rainbow Keepers, people from Association of Anarchist Movements, Federation of Revolutionary Anarchists, "unaligned anarchists" of course, human rights activists, musicians, artists, guests from other countries. 8 planned days wascut short to be 4 - 20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd of February.

Festival was launched with discussion on theme "anarchist and other alternatives toarmy and conscription". Anarchist answer to Chamberlains in liquidation of the state, and a regular army with it. A liberal with an orange scarf made a rhetorical question "to whom shirt belongs - to producer, bourgeoisie or to buyer?". In anarchism, question makes no sense: when people are armed, there will no be bourgeoisieand there will be enough shirts for everybody. That will be a society of generaldistribution of shirts. Soldiers back home! Let generals dig trenches!

Two anti-war punk hardcore concerts were organised - 20th of February (Echo is Your Love from Helsinki, Svinokop from Saint-Petersburg, Potom budet pozdno from Saint-Petersburg, 777 Bakunina from Moscow, Crowd Control from Saint-Petersburg and In Reflection from Moscow), and 21st of February with support from Anti-war club in R-club (Echo is Your Love, Svinokop, Potom budet pozdno, Argument 5.45 from Moscow and Loa Loa from Moscow). Groups began their concerts with speeches against war hysteria, fascism and nationalism. Audience answered, diving and slamming the anti-militarist way. Anti-war bannersand pictures of destroyed Grozniy were hanged to the walls. Anarchist, anti-war and anti-fascistliterature and music was distributed. In the streets, boneheads were running, anti-fascistsafter them... Moscow nights as usual. Concert of 24th of February was screwd up, and in 27th of February Gulyay-Pole fell under strikes of chekists.

Main action was a non-legalised march against war in Chechnya and against new limitations of deferment and exemption from military service. It went according to all rules of the genre, in the day of official celebrations (of day of Defender of the Fatherland) in the centre of Moscow, and was finished with spectacular arrests. 1 PM at old arbat, next to McDonald's, participators of "Food not Bombs" brought vegetarian food and began distributing it to everyone in a need (among whom many anarchists, who were hanging in the Arbat trying to look as random passers by). Police appeared and attempted to stop the event, but nobody paid attention sincethere should not be anything political in distribution of food. Police called support forces, which raised their fighting spirits, after which people were forced to split into small groupsand disperse to small streets nearby. Unfortunately coppers did not dispersed, but continued their evil ways in the streets, harrassing any odd phenomena in the streets, such as people walking with rolled banners, punks visiting McD toilets and journalists.

2 PM groups reunited not far from crossing of New Arbat and Sadovaya ringroad, they rised anarchists flag and unrolled banners "Death to state and capitalism", "Army is a school of slavery", "No to war in Chechnya", "No to abolition of of deferment and exemption from military service" and marched by New Arbattowards centre. Demonstrators scanned "Soldiers back home, Putin to Chechnya!", "War against war!", "No to police state", "No to abolition of deferment!". When march turned to Gogol boulevard and passed by Army headquarters, people shouted "We wish a quick meeting with Hattab to all HQ!" (Hattab was influential Chechen resistance leader, ambushed by his own few years ago). There was enough chaos - more than half of the poles did not fit the flags, part of the people was lostbefore the conspirative start, some came late - all in all it was some 65 people. On the way, passers by were given free tabloid "deserter", made by Moscow anarchists.

On the middle way march was granted a police escort. Once a while they demanded demonstration to disperse, but not with too much effort - apparently they hopedthat it will leave to territory of the next station, liberating them from obligation of making decisions on their own, which gives an opportunity to have some booze to celebratethe state holiday. One of the coppers shouted to his radio "They have no leaders!I repeat - they have no leaders!". That was the most happiest line of the festival, butit is unlikely that its author could fully understand the whole meaning. This anonymousArbat copper announced, that it was a model of non-hierarchical anarchistsociety passing by him, belief to which is alone a heresy for him.

Demonstration passed by consulate of Turkmenistan, scanning "Down with Turkmenbashi", and soon hit the Old Arbat. Around 2:30 PM police tried to stop march by force, but they did not had nightsticks and thus they had only pretty limited success at first. So they decided to fight with symbols, grabbing people with flags and transparents. In the middleof the Old Arbat, march was first splitted to two parts, and eventually both had to disperse. 7 participators, one journalist, group of Ren-TV, big banner, flag and one drum were arrested. All of these were took to Arbat police station. Banner, flag and drum were separated from the rest, whom police tried to scare. Since threats did not had much effect, police had it on the presidential way, and they began flushing people down from the toilet. Cops attempted to wash head of one of the anarchists in the toilet, butsince he was not up for a shower, they had to mangle his face instead.

Presence of journalists limited chances to further experiments. Support group of some 20 people was staying at the police station, and eventually around half past 6 everyone was released. Again everybody gathered, video screening which wasinterfed by FSB the day before was finally done, people almost did not booze...

There were also a number of other events, for example lecture on anarchist movement in USA as a part of the weekly anarchist lecture series "Bespartshkola", support for already mentioned picket of victims of OMON mop-up operation in city of Blagoveschensk of Bashkiria, a discussion on non-violent means of protests after a lecture of a guest from War Resisters International, many forms of unformal chatting... much of the program was cancelled, but general mood after event is only positive.

And although Gulyay-Pole lasted only 4 days, free anarchist territory was there for at least a while. We will ride again! Farewell to army! Peaceful sky for you, Caucasus!



(edited from account of Akbar, written for Avtonom #24)


Post Scriptum: Indeed, everybody were surprised for amount of interest that both FSB and nazis gave to festival. Attempts to stop the event by latter group were expecially sorry. Almost all events of the festival, beginning from the
Food Not Bombs of Sunday 20th, were visited by mobs of boneheads, but not once they could bring more than 20 people. For sure self-defence was not too succesfull either. Good opportunities were wasted, only 4 unimportant nazis were beaten during the events and their communication networks confiscated. But it is important to note that although Moscow nazi movement is still strong, they are having their worst crisis ever. They totally lack coordination and may not stop us even if they really try. From now on, streets will be ours!

<>Saturday, March 12 2005 @ 04:21 AM PST Contributed by: A