A-Infos (en) Summary of Anarchist Mayday actions in Russia

In Sosnoviy Bor of Leningrad Region, local anarchists joined a red
demonstration and meeting. Anarchists raised a red and black flag,
and distributed leaflets and Situatsiya-tabloid. During a speech
of a local leader of Rodina (Motherland)-party anarchists went
shouting "fascist!" with some other internationalists, cops were not
very happy for this. But eventually nobody got arrested anyway.
In Penza some 20 anarchists joined red demonstration. Anarchists had
one banner but no flags. Altogether it was some 300-400 people
in demonstration. Anarchists shouted "Today with leaflets, tomorrow
with rifles!", "Fascism won't trespass!", "Nashism won't trespass!"
("Nashi" is name of new pro-Putin storm trooper organization
funded by Kremlin, which has organized violent attacks against some
oppositional youth organizations), "Liberty or death!" and
"Revolution!".

In Kazan,  4 members of Alliance of Kazan Anarchists visited both
meeting of official trade-unions and red meeting. A special issue
of "Kazan anarchist" was distributed, as well as leaflets "How
not to get infected with fascism" and against government plans
to curb deferment and exemption from military service.

In Irkutsk, some 50 anarchists joined red meeting at Sport
Palace. Leaflets were distributed and speeches were made by
anarchists. Local bolshevists did not let anarchists to
microphone. After demonstration, anarchists went to grave of
Nestor Kalandarishivili, a legendary partisan and anarchist of
the civil war era, where both Chicago and Siberian anarchists
of the past were commemorated.

In Nizhni Novgorod, anarchist press was distributed in a red
meeting in Minin square. Altogether there were some 300
people in the meeting.

In Krasnodar, anti-authoritarians ("unaligned" anarchists and
communists, Autonomous Action, left-communist Voskhod-group and
Federation of Anarcho-Communists) had a common demonstration of
some 30 people. Participators carried banners "There will
always be a revolution", "Trash nationalism", "Down with the
power of corporations", "Down with the police state" and a  red
and black flag. Demonstrators scanned "Fascism won't trespass!",
"Our enemy is not in Chechnya, our enemy is in Kremlin!",
"Freedom! Anarchy! Communism!", and singed International and
Varshavyanka. There were no arrests.

In Omsk, local section of Siberian Confederation of Labour
SKT  joined mayday demonstration of trade unions. Red demonstration
was to take place later on. SKT had 9 red and black flags,
and one flag of its member organization air dispatchers' union.
Motherland-party joined meeting as well, ruling party "United
Russia" was officially not part of the meeting. SKT members
distributed its paper Syndicalist, as well as brochure of local
anarchists Antifa-action. After meeting, syndicalists had a movie
screening of Bread and Roses by Ken Loach.

In Petrozhavodsk,  meeting of the opposition gathered up to
2000 people. Anarchists and members of "Anti-fascist initiative"
were 10 people, with 2 black flags and banners "Irak - Palestine
- Chechnya! Fraternity - Freedom - Spring!" and "No peace
with slavery, no agreement with war". Unknown people
dropped banner from building next to the square with
text "Fuck the power, war and misery".

In Novosibirsk creative youth organized already a second
"Monstration", with up to 200 participants.
They had banners "Shame on you, Vasya", "Wash yourselves",
"I won't be Tsoi anymore", "It is not eggs who paint people,
but people who paint eggs", "Magnet-girl lived in
metro 8 years!" and others. One participator of the monstration
had a placate with a photograph of vice-chief of local

police, lieutenant Yuri Pimenov, with a jerky expression
with his face, and with text "Everybody is free!". He, together
with a friend chained to him, were taken to police station
where they spent 4 hours. They were accused of organization
of illegal meeting. Rest of the monstration headed to
general oppositional meeting, which gathered some 3000
people.

In Voronezh, official trade unions and reds marched together
from Victory square to Lenin square. Anarchists blocked
together with human rights activists. Press and leaflets
were distributed. Statue of Lenin was decorated with banner
"We destroy vertical of power", but it stayed on place only
2 minutes. After demonstration a group of boneheads assaulted
young leftists.

In Murmansk, red meeting gathered up to 3000 people.
Anarchists were 30, and they scanned revolutionary
and anti-fascist slogans. Nothing special happened.

In Naberezhnye Chelny of Tatarstan, anarchists attempted
to legalize a picket with little success.
Already half an hour in prior to announced beginning,
already 40 cops gathered in the meeting point. Person who
filled announcement for the picket was immediately
arrested, and taken to local police station with some
other activists. Juveniles were let go after a couple of
hours. One person was accused of "illegal picketing" and
"distributing unregistered media". Court only gave a
caution to organizer, who had to spend whole evening,
night and morning in the police station.

In St. Petersburg, anarchist gathered 10 AM in convergence
point of general oppositional march called by "Committee
of Common Action" KED, umbrella organization which mostly

consists of authoritarians. Anarchist bloc was agreed with
KED, but when around 50 anarchists moved from gathering
point towards Nevskiy Prospekt, they were surrounded by
OMON in a full riot gear and pushed brutally to sidewalk.
Around 30 people were surrounded by OMON, another 50 were
outside encirclement, supporting those encircled.
People shouted "Shame on you!", "Down with the police
state!", "Freedom", "Let us to Nevskiy!".
Anarchists were held for a long time, all other blocs
moved far in Nevskiy and even  cleaning machines
following them were moving on. But surprisingly OMON
gave up the encirclement, and anarchists were let to catch
the others - at this point anarchist block numbered 150 people.
People shouted "No to fascism!", "Main enemy is in
our own country, main enemy sits in Kremlin!", "Antifa!",
"Freedom to people, death to empires!" and others. Bloc
had banners "Lust of freedom is stronger than
any prison", "Peace to people, war to power", "Take
the streets, reclaim the city" and others.
Black bloc caught the queue. But eventually those in the
back of the demonstration (anarchists and other "more
radical" youthful groups) were  not let to the Palace Square
in front of the Winter Palace.
People from this group were only let to the square without
flags and banners. Some fulfilled these orders, but some
50 people stayed in the new encirclement during around
one hour. This time, official meeting in the square was
finished and main crowd began to disperse. Encircled
people used the occasion, broke through to the square
and lighted a number of sea torches. An unofficial
meeting against police despotism was organized, where
everybody could talk to open mic (which was exactly
speaking a loudspeaker).
People decided to organize an illegal demonstration to
Italianskaya street, headquarters of 5th TV channel
in order to combat media blackout of police despotism
witnessed during the day. Actually, this was also planned
in prior by Pyotr Alekseyev Resistance Movement, a
group which claims to follow Maximalist tradition, but
is also mixing a number of other anti-authoritarian and
authoritarian ideas (you may know this "Pyotr Alekseyev"
better by his surname, Kropotkin). An illegal, spirited march
went on to Italianskaya street, only few cops were spotted
at this point - apparently they had already went for their
mayday booze. Another illegal meeting was organized in
Italianskaya street, but people failed to get to tv anyway.
(The following report from Moscow was already posted to
internet)

This year, in Moscow "unaligned anarchists", Rainbow Keepers,
Autonomous Action and the rest could bring only 40 people to
anarchist mayday march in Moscow. This apparently because
everything was put together very hastily due to other ongoing
projects, and many people have apparently made a conclusion,
that walking around with flags and shouting out for anarchist
communism with a few dozen people changes nothing. But they
are wrong, aren't they?

March grouped in the beginning of the Leonteyevskiy side street,
where underground anarchists had a good try to blow up Lenin
back in the 1919. Intelligence judged that Tverskaya was full of
pigs, so soon after passing Moscow municipal council ("city duma")
march walked across the street, and went on marching Kamergerskiy
side street and Kuznesky most towards Lyubyanka. These streets
had way better acoustics, so shouts such as "Death to state,
freedom to labour!", "Factories to workers, we will destroy all the power!",
"Rubber bullets and tear gas, gift of the president to working masses!",
"Freedom to people, death to empires!", "Main enemy is in our
own country, main enemy sits in Kreml!", "No to war in Iraq and Chechnya!"
and others sounded loud as if we were twice more.

When we crossed Dmitrovka street, we discovered a horrible failure
of our intelligence - 2 busloads of OMON in full riot gear were stationed
there, in reserve for many mayday events around the city... but they did not
expected us, and were not going to crack our heads without a special
commands from above, so we just passed them peacefully,
shouting "Down with the police state!". Some better-off
citizens shouted us "shame on you!", perhaps
they considered we should have assaulted OMON...

When arriving to FSB (x-KGB) reception (the same which NRA bombed
some years ago), some participators began spraying the building next to it
while rest shouted "Down with the FSB!". Due to many unlucky circumstances,
a traffic cop (DPS), not sticking in his own business, managed to grab
one person he suspected of spraying. A de-arresting attempt was made,
but in a shameful episode anarchists lost a wrestling match with the traffic
pigs. They were BIG, FAT and STICKY traffic pigs! But I wonder when
we will be able to challenge OMON, if we can not do even with the DPS? Soon
a bunch of FSO (Federal Guarding Service) thugs ran from the building,
pointing everybody with assault rifles and submachine guns and trashing some
heads with nightsticks - march dispersed quickly, although some heroic acts
of individual resistance were observed as well. This years anarchist Mayday
march lasted only 20 minutes.

Rest of the evening, we spent in police station waiting for 9 arrested
comrades to be released. Luckily, there was no enough evidence to charge
people of "vandalism" (felony of up to 3 years), people were given irrelevant
misdemeanors of "participating to an illegal demonstration" or "organizing
an illegal demonstration" and released the same evening. One of the very few good sides
of the Russian pigs is (lack of) their working ethics - unless pressure from above, they
really do not give a fuck.

Collected by Aleksander/St. Petersburg Anarchist League (ADA-IFA), except
St. Petersburg by Uliana Lesnaya and Moscow by Aleksei. . Translated and edited
by Aleksei/Autonomous Action of Moscow

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