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Title: War against war! Author: Autonomous Action Date: 24 June 2014 Language: en Topics: Ukraine, anti-war Source: Retrieved on 7th June 2021 from https://avtonom.org/en/news/war-against-war-statement-leftists-and-anarchists-confrontation-ukraine
In the ongoing conflict, we support neither Ukrainian government nor
pro-Russian factions that established their authority on the portion of
Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts. The working class (i.e. everyone who has
neither power nor capital) is equally alien both to the concept of
​​unitary Ukraine and to the ideas of ​​”federalization” or creation of new
states — these are merely the games of politicians, drawing blood from
ordinary people. We, the left and the anarchists, should primarily
adhere to the needs of the working class in the war-torn regions of
Ukraine, protect their rights and freedoms.
Donetsk and Luhansk “people’s republics” are a collection of warring
right-wing juntas. Rights and freedoms, which are granted to the rest of
Ukraine, are not available in the territories under their control.
Public manifestation of political dissent is not possible there; worker
rights activists who criticized DPR were kidnapped and tortured. Upon
preservation of these regimes the working class will be completely
deprived of any opportunity to defend their legal rights. The only
possible form of the “left” activity in DPR and LPR is the ritual
worship of Soviet symbols, which has nothing to do with the workers’
interests.
The reactionary regimes of DPR and LPR are not interested in peaceful
solution, they aim at escalating the conflict even further, which is
confirmed by the promises of their leaders to “get to Kharkov”, “to
Kiev” and “to Lviv”.
Ukrainian authorities profit from war contracts, send war reservists and
untrained conscripts to to the frontline of the civil war, and attempt
to use the protracted military conflict to strengthen their positions.
Contrary to the forced rhetorics of the unity between the government and
people, we must resist all attempts to curtail social guarantees,
political rights and freedoms, all manifestations of police and military
violence, all the incitement of nationalist and religious prejudice
among soldiers and common people. For the ruling class, war is the
opportunity of a crackdown in political and social spheres. In struggle
against the aggression of Putin’s regime and his satellites, Ukrainians
should not neglect the danger of a “Putin” who can emerge in their own
country.
After their victory over the “separatists”, whose position is doomed
without the external military support, the strengthened Kiev regime will
once again become a major threat to the working class. If the oppressed
unite with the ruling class under the patriotic banners, the crackdown
on human rights and freedoms, which was to be avoided by the Maidan, is
inevitable under the new government. Parliament is comprised of the
representatives of conservative and far-right parties (“Batkivshyna”,
“Svoboda”), which had repeatedly sponsored obscurantist bills – in
particular, the restitution of death penalty, restriction of
reproductive rights, preventive arrests on political motives; the
charters of these parties contain appeals to ban political strikes. In
many of the initiatives they mimic such of the Putin’s regime, of the
Party of Regions or of the Communist Party. Despite their plummeting
ratings, such rhetorics are perceived as a legitimate part of the
political field.
We unhesitatingly oppose the legitimization of ultra-nationalist and
criminal groups as members of the “anti-terrorist operation”. However,
we should note that among those fighting on the other side are the
volunteers from European fascist organizations and the
ultra-reactionaries from Russia, and pro-Kremlin propaganda only
portrays them as “anti-fascist warriors”.
We are equally disgusted by saber rattling and cheering the killing of
enemies, on the one side, and by pseudo-pacifist speculations of the
people directly responsible for the escalation of violence, on the
other. Pacifism is neither compatible with the backing of the “New
Russia” regimes or expressing any kind of sympathy towards them, nor
with the support of Ukrainian militarism.
Information space and the media have become a genuine battlefield, the
people of Ukraine and Russia are being fed opposite in content but
equally spurious propaganda that strengthens militancy on both sides of
the conflict and sets workers on against other; this allows governments
to channel social discontent into a safe direction. Therefore, it is
important not to follow the crowd, which is pleased to receive the news
it wants to hear, but to keep a sober mind and stay true to our
principles. Only time will help to reconstruct the events truthfully.
The working class in Ukraine is still in its infancy and is does not
take part in the conflict as a subject. We need to formulate and defend
the social agenda and help the development of organizations that express
the interests of workers. Only a strong labor movement that realizes its
interests will be able to establish peace in Ukraine.
We oppose involuntary military service, and demand to end the
conscription and release all soldiers who do not want to fight.
We support the campaign of aiding internally displaced persons from the
war-torn regions, and we are ready to support deserters and conscripts
who evade service on ethical and political grounds. AWU-Kharkiv already
runs a campaign to support the internally displaced people in its area –
we urge all libertarians and left to join in or do the same in their
areas.
We express our support and solidarity with the workers’ and trade union
initiatives that fight for their labor rights; we are ready to actively
support those who are struggling against DPR and LPR from the class
standpoint. They are in a much more serious danger today than activists
from Central and Western Ukraine.
No war but the class war!