Events: January-March 2010

On 9^th January a class in «Communities without hierarchy» was held by an anarchist initiative «Bespartshkola» («School Without Desks»). The class was attended by about 50 people. SWD is attempt to imitate a libertarian system of education in at least such a small scale. As a first step to the system we reject authority used in conventional pedagogics and replace it with mutual respect. We don’t see our point of view as final and hope that the class conductors alone will share their opinions and engage in possible discussions.

On 12^th January a policeman in Mogilev committed suicide. This happened in his apartment on the Christmas Eve, when he was alone and out of service. The officer discharged a sporting gun Izh-27 at his chest. It is the first suicide committed by a policeman in 2010. The previous year broke all records as for suicidal tendencies in the Departments of Internal Affairs. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, 14 police staff members committed suicide during 2009.

January 15. According to new laws, the powers of the Strategic Analytical Centre (SAC) under the President are extended. The new amendments enable the Centre with special investigative techniques.

The new powers of the SAC suggest that this special service will be able to control mailing units, telegraphic or other communication, collect information from technical communication channels and fulfil other duties, connected with special investigative techniques.

Elimination of the badly-controlled structures picks up steam before the coming presidential election of 2011. Repressions are justified by the legal basis. Together with the new dactylography law as well as the Internal Ministry and KGB power extention, the creation of this new special force controlled by President directly hints that the repressions will become a lot more severe before the elections. Now the regime jackals will keep an eye on the Internet as well.

January16. On Saturday cops interfered with the Food Not Bombs Action in Minsk. The usual place of the action, the park near the railway station, was forbidden from entrance.

This is not the first time when the police block the action in an aggressive manner. We are not going to stand it and will fight the cops’ lawlessness, as well as the repressions of the authorities.

The cops told us the Central Internal Affairs Directorate «ordered a hit on us» — but we will resist it with all the strength of the fire in our hearts. For the fire is stronger than repressions and police batons.

That’s why we call on you to help us stand for our right for mutual help. Come at 13.20 in Mikhaylovski Park on Saturday, January 23. And take your determination to act with you!

On 19^th January at about 8 a.m. a twenty-meter long banner «NO TO FASCISM» was hung on a building along Mogilevskaya str. by a group of Minsker anarchists. This is a solidarity action with Russian antifascists resisting Nazi and state terror; a commemoration to Nastya Baburova and Stas Markelov killed this day a year ago. We would like to emphasise once more — the antifascist struggle is non-consistent and is doomed without anicapitalist and antistate struggle. Nevertheless we express our solidarity with everyone who baldly claims their antifascist position.

Picture: http://belarus.indymedia.org/content/sashanozh/19336.jpg

January 21. Minsk anarchists released a video appeal, where they laid their vision of the political situation in the country and called upon all people concerned to enter the struggle against the state and capital.

In the video there are examples of anarchist actions and the most significant anarchist demos in 2009.

Watch here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tbrNeekQy4

http://rutube.ru/tracks/2847325.html?v=0c662f05c8ecd05b9b38641be5ccf9e8

On 22^th January an action against state symbols was carried out by an anarchist group. The state flag was taken away from the building of Academy of Post-Graduate Education, and an anarchist red&black flag was hung instead.

Pics: /?p=7297#more-7297

On 26^th January Parliament passed the law, according to which the army draft postponement will not be granted to students of correspondence institutions any longer. Moreover, a proposal was presented to draft students from for-profit departments of all higher educational institutions.

About 10 thousand Belarusians will be directed to involuntary service till March 1, 2010. Recently the number of male citizens of age decreased by 5-7%.

On 28^th January a youth action «Free Hugs» was supposed to be held in Brest. Free Hugs is a movement which participants come out in the streets and offer strangers a hug. Invented by an Australian Huan Mann in 2004. It gained international fame in 2006 thanks to a music video by Australian rock-band «Sick Puppies», placed on YouTube.

But hardly had the participants in Brest gathered in the street with posters «Free Hugs», when the «law enforcers» suspected the breach of law (there must have been no Presidential decree to hug) and detained the actioners. At the police station 4 administrative protocols were drown up (illegal organisation of the public association activity or participation in the activity).

February 1. The usage of the national INTERNET segment will be regulated in Belarus. The correspondent decree №60 was signed by the President on 1^st February. The document is directed to the state maintenance in the sphere of information, simplification of the control over the INTERNET and censorship. The decree regulates the mechanism of limited access to information on INTERNET-user’s demand. For example, an INTERNET provider is to limit the access of the subscription device to the information, the contents of which is directed to pornography distribution, propaganda of violence, cruelty and other illegal actions.

February 6. New pics of anarchist graffiti are available at /?p=7517

February 6. After the population of Tolochin (Vitebsk region) attempted to block one of the town’s streets, they were dispersed by the police.

A Tolochin dweller Nikolay Petrushenko informed that the police dispersed the picketing against local authorities nonfeasance. It’s been a month that water pumps are out of order. Dorozhnaja str. and the streets adjoining a textile plant were shut out from water supply.

The residents complained to communal service but, according to Nikolay Petrushenko, no reaction followed. At 7.20 a.m. a few people tried to block the street and were dispersed by the police at once.

On 20^th February an illegal picket against NPP construction in Belarus was held by an anarchist group ‘Antinuclear Resistance’. At 19.20 a group of 40 people unfolded two banners reading ‘Antinuclear Resistance’ and ‘There is an alternative!’ in front of the movie theater ‘Oktjabr’. During the action the participants were shouting out anarchist and antinuclear slogans and a speech explaining anarchists’ position concerning NPP construction was being read through a loud-hailer. Apart from this, the actioners distributed leaflets, attracted attention by flags and fusees.

The picketing lasted for 5 min., then the actioners left. No detainees observed. More leaflets were distributed in other parts of the city.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4q-st1cF174

The same day antinuclear banners were hung in public places of Baranivichi and Grodno.

Pics: /?p=7847#more-7847

On 27^th February the Ministry of Interior Academy= Police Academy (MIA) started an aggressive campaign among prospective school-leavers.

The students of the High school are gathered to special meetings where representatives of the MIA agitate to bind their lives with service in Departments of Internal Affairs. In gymnasium № 21 a policeman started his speech with insulting the students by saying that they are nothing and consequently, will be able to achieve nothing in their life. As if, even if someone gets to university, they are doomed to lead a wretched existence. The only alternative — is the MIA. Then the state will take care of them.

Funny, but the students got up in arms about such an ‘agitation’ and gave a real battle to the MIA representative, not allowing him to put a strain on them. The administration of the school even had to interfere into the conflict that broke out during the agitation.

On 3^rd March Minsk anarchists spread a call for a decentralised day of actions against police lawlessness and state control to be held on 15^th March.

«The country we live in is changing for the worse. The elections of the ‘king’ are coming. The elections which results are well-known to everyone. The ‘king’ seems not to have to worry: the servants are tamed, ‘stability’, although swaying but is still standing, the people keep silent and work. But nevertheless fear and uncertainty torture Lukashenko and his confidants.

In general, 4 totalitarian laws were hastily passed recently:

• Of extending the powers of the Ministry of Interior and KGB. From now on searches and wiretaps can be carried out with the sanction of a local official only.

• Of control over the Internet. IP-addresses and pages history are now registered. To enter an Internet-cafe one needs to have an ID.

• Mandatory dactylography law. Now all people liable for military service (about 2 mln.) are to be dactylogrammed.

• Students of correspondence departments are to be drafted to army. The purpose of the impudent law is to cut down the quantity of young people who could be in the streets during the coming Presidential elections of 2011. The state needs to transmit as many youths as possible through the military school of torpidity.

  […] If Lukashenko feels so assured as he claims from the TV-screens, why would he pass such extreme control measures?

  The answer is simple — there is no certainty! The crisis is at rage and the authorities won’t be able to soften its consequences forever. The collapse of the famous ‘Belarusian model’ supported by cheap oil and gas from the East is just a matter of time. Moreover the patience of the Belarusian people is not eternal, although its is very high for self-esteemed people» — the call says.
  

Anarchists called «autonomous», anarchist groups in Belarus, all active comrades, everyone who wanted to approve oneself, but was waiting for a convenient time, to make decentralised actions of resistance and disobedience, and attached to the call a few kinds of leaflets, stickers, stencils, which could be used in propaganda of anarchists ideas.

On 10th March at 7.45 a.m. some comrades from anarchist initiative «Antinuclear Resistance» hung a banner reading «Ostrovetskaya NPP? No Thanks!» on the bridge near the metro «Nemiga». This action showed a protest against nuclear lobbyists who gathered today at the exhibition «AtomExpo» in Minsk. The actioners want to point out that the authorities prevent the spread of the information about the NPP dangers, while the nukes-adherents hold their public meetings.

Pics: http://belarus.indymedia.org/content/ulitkapaskalya/19727.jpg

11^th March. «Premature» decentralised actions were held in Soligorsk (Minsk region). In the evening of 9^th March the windows of a police station in Stroiteley str. were broken and a fusee was thrown inside.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jT27oiSwCY0

On 10^th March some posters were hung in the town reminding the residents about the suicide committed by a human rights lawyer Olga Polyakova in Soligorsk, who underwent numerous derisions and bodily blows by the police.

Poster pics: http://belarus.indymedia.org/content/solikanarch/19739.jpg

http://belarus.indymedia.org/content/solikanarch/19740.full.jpg

«Our actions symbolyse our striving to liberation and the wish to achieve our life goals of justice and self-government. The broken windows of the police station is our radical remind to the military-men that we are fed up with the cynicism of the system.

The posters are our explanation to the people who still hope for the state structures and believe the lullaby speeches of the President and the media. They also prove that trying to defend justice on the legal basis is not only a waste of time but also a fatal attempt. Our slogan on the banner is another signal to the publicity that the vital ideals: Liberty, Equality and Comradeship will flourish only when we won’t be hindered by the cops and the System dies.»- says the text accompanying the actions.

On 13^th March a class in «Open Software and computer security» was held by an anarchist initiative «Bespartshkola» («School Without Desks»). The class was attended by about 20 people.

Poster: http://s002.radikal.ru/i198/1003/3d/799efadf6346.gif

18^th March. The summary of the decentralised day of actions against police lawlessness and state control.

Actions were held in 7 towns of Belarus: Minsk, Gomel, Bobrujsk (Mogilev region), Polotsk (Vitebsk region), Logojsk and Soligorsk (Minsk region), Baranovichi (Brest region).

In the course of actions a banner was hung, sticker- and graffiti-raids were carried out incl. police stations, advert billboards containing state propaganda were attacked, many leaflets, explaining the anarchist position as to new totalitarian-like laws were distributed among students.

Pics: /?p=8617#more-8617

March 23. Vitaly Gurkov paid homage to murdered anti-fascists after winning К-1 World Max 2010 East Europe Tournament

Champion of К-1 World Max 2010 East Europe Tournament, which took place in Minsk of Belarus 19th of March, dedicated his victory to acquaintances and friends of friends who had to pay with their lives for their anti-fascist ideas.

It is also unusual, that Belarusian champion gave an interview in Belarusian language. Here is the full quote

— In press conference in prior to fight you promised to tell, to whom you will dedicate the fight after winning the tournament…

— Well you know, there is much injustice in the world, much evil. And during a very short period of time, many acquaintances and friends of my friends died in Moscow and in St. Petersburg. Fyodor Filatov, Ivan Khutorskoy, Timur Kacharava… these people had conscience, they helped strangers, homeless people, they took action against racial prejudices. And they died. Unfortunately, people who try to change something in this life, suffer from it. They were young people and I am very sad, that they are not with us anymore. I would like to dedicate my victory to them. And also to my country and to everyone who considers himself a Belarusian and is proud for one’s people.

Full interview available in Russian here: http://www.if.by/article/1069560

Semifinal is available in youtube — Vitaly Gurkov vs. Gogokhiya Enriko (Georgia)

first part:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJm-kBGQsgs

second part:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKHVi_kN6lQ