RUSSIA- CONFRONTATION

Russia - Siberia
NOVOSIBIRSK: CONFRONTATION BETWEEN THE AUTHORITIES AND THE PEOPLE


In Novosibirsk, for a few months since the end of last year, there has been a confrontation between the government and pensioners protesting against the decision of the Governor Yurchenko to abolish unlimited travel on public transport for those in receipt of benefits.

The organiser of the protest actions is an Organizing Committee, formed in the wake of the protest, which consists of active senior citizens, as well as representatives from many political parties and public organizations: AUCPB (N.A. Andreeva), Working Russia, RCWP, Komsomol, "For control and peoples order" and others.

Until now there have been six protests held in front of the residence of the Governor – outside the building of the Novosibisk Government HQ. If the pensioners of December 29, January 21, and February 4 and 21 protests picketed the Government building, then on March 4 and 18 meeting was held followed by protest march to President's Reception in the Siberian Federal District (SFD).

The wave of popular protest is growing day by day. If at first pickets, we managed to gather 200-300 people, then the march on March 18 was attended by already 1500 people. The claimed number of participants on April 1 to march along Krasny Prospect, and a rally at Lenin square - is 3000.

At rallies, people chant: "Yurchenko, out!", "The authorities, which degrade pensioners are a DISGRACE!", "Officials, getting fat at the expense of the elderly are a DISGRACE!", "NO to bourgeois power!" And others. There are many placards. The people are militant-minded. There is an open free microphone – pensioners make speeches, denouncing the current government.

However, the authorities are not going to cancel their decision, and do not want to even listen to the indignant people. Hopes by the pensioners placed on Russian president Medvedev have not been not justified: the people for a second time have marched to the residence of the President Plenipotentiary in the Siberian Federal District, but other than pledges, receive nothing. On April 1, people decided not to march to the residence of the Russian president, but hold a multi- thousand protest marche along Krasny Prospect and to hold a rally at Lenin Square.

The authorities are frantically making attempts at disrupting the people's protest, to behead it. Thus, on February 21, on the eve of the protest, preventive arrests were carried out by police, against one of the organizers of the protests, leader of the Novosibirsk AUCPB organisation Denisyuk Alex, who, allegedly, for failing to pay traffic fines, was jailed for 7 days. Another organizer of the protests - Igor Lobareva, was arrested and detained in a police cell for 2 days, and then after this, his car was torched.

Police and the Centre "E" (department set up for “monitoring and dealing with extremist organisations”) with incredible cynicism in "interviews" with the organizers claim that "we (the police) will not see that there are pensioners at the protest, and will disperse everyone using riot police," and “for the blocking of the road you will have a criminal case on your hands" (the words of Centre "E" operative, Zolotukhin), and that "we will give to pensioners 15 days of jail" (repeated statements by the police colonel Muzalev). The authorities are frothing at the mouth, fearing the people's wrath. To ensure "public order", the police, Centre "E", and the riot police have been given unprecedented powers ("we have to mobilize the entire city police" -, Colonel Muzalev said in court). According to reports from the police department of Novosibirsk, there will be at least two or three police officers to one protesting pensioner at the protests (for details, see the AUCPB article on this issue "FASCIZATION OF THE REGIME IN ACTION" - Ed.).

The mayor of Novosibirsk in every way is impeding the actions, refusing to agree on the venue, offering instead of the Government building to protest, that we go to the local library. Therefore, all actions that are held, in the language of government, are "unauthorized" and "illegal". After each protest action, the police write up reports on "administrative violations" against the organizers, as well as against active young people (which, in addition, upon completion of the protest actions are snatched by Centre "E" operatives). During the agreement on a protest for April 1, the Mayor once again refused, while stating that the police will not be at the protest, and that full responsibility for any excesses will fall onto the organisers (after all this time, people will march on the road along Krasny Prospect and not on the pavement, and will hold a rally right on Lenin square, which would mean blocking the city center) (ie the police will not divert vehicular traffic). One gets the impression that the authorities are preparing a provocation in order to disperse the people, and bring the organizers to “justice” for blocking Krasny Prospect, which can cause not only an administrative penalty (15 days in jail), but also a criminal proceeding (which was the case with the blocking of Narymsky street on May 6, 2008., after which the activists had three criminal cases, allegedly for "assaulting police officers").

Organizers of the rally are trying to defend their right to freedom of assembly, in the court, and even with some success. Thus on March 21, the Central District Court found the City Hall proposal to change the venue as illegal and unjustified, thus recognizing the legitimacy of the protest actions outside the Government building. One of the organizers accused in the blocking of Krasny Prospect on January 21, was acquitted by the magistrate.

Greater and greater number of social movements and political parties are joining the movement (in the Organizing Committee are more than a dozen), and spreading of the struggle. Of special note is the Communist Party of the Russian Federation leadership (Zyuganov) (although their activists are involved in the protest actions), but not wanting to go for confrontation against the authorities, they are carrying out their tokenist duty "protests" at the library, in the quiet and away from the authorities.

With the growth of people's anger - the power fluctuates. A few days ago the authorities announced that at the "end of the quarter, the governor's decision will be modified." The Presidential Plenipotentiary in the Siberian Federal District has promised "support". On April 6, there will be a scheduled meeting of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation under the claim of prosecution of an illegal decision by the governor (Regional Court dismissed the lawsuit).

But the time for appeal has passed. The time has come for the most determined, most daring and most importantly - mass action of the people who will decide the outcome of the struggle (among members of the Organizing Committee, there are people who sow the illusion that, say, the problem will be "solved" by the President or Mr. Putin, so you need to go to their residences and "make appeals with the demands, as well as assure them that if the Mayor does not allow the protest, we must "accept this” and act "within the law," i.e., proposing to push the movement into the mainstream of the CPRF). On April 1, the minimum objective is - to gather 3000 people to pass march with popular anger to the centre of the city and show the authorities the strength of the people - the only way to defend their rights.

The struggle continues! We will not be intimidated! Together - we have the power! Victory will be ours!
Down with the current sell out power of the bourgeoisie!

Gregory Pavlev, AUCPB

On this Site: vkpb-nsk.ru