Dear comrades,
The union ‘Borotba’ and collective of the Ukrainian web-journal Liva.com.ua greet all the participants of the anti-fascist meeting. Our
periphery East-European country witnesses one of the most dramatic
moments in its modern history. The Ukrainian lefts face challenges they
have never confronted for many years. After some violent and bloody
clashes in the centre of Kiev the power in our country was seized by the
coalition of ultra-right and neoliberal political forces. The newly
established regime immediately started the close cooperation with the
richest oligarchs – with those who (along with the representatives of
the EU and US) provided the financial aid and international support to
Euromaidan. Some of these oligarchs were recently appointed as governors
in the key industrial regions (that are the least loyal to new
rightwing government) – with the expectation that they would suppress
the anger of indignant protesters there.
The rightwing ideology – a kind of synthesis of neoliberal illusions
about the nature of ‘decent European capitalism’ and clerical bigotry of
Ukrainian nationalism – dominated in Euromaidan from the very beginning
and almost everything there was under control of rightwing politicians.
They managed to exploit the anger of many impoverished and marginalized
Ukrainians dissatisfied with the corrupt bourgeois regime of Yanukovich
– the regime that we also have been fighting against for many years.
After 20 years period of mass anti-communist propaganda the lefts in
Ukraine were ousted into margins of politics while the rights managed to
use social populism combined with pro-capitalist and nationalist
slogans.
And it is not accidental that Euromaidan was greeted and backed by
the most reactionary forces and politicians of the EU and US. The new
Ukrainian authorities are ready to open Ukrainian markets to their
patrons and to impose on society (still suffering from the crisis) the
package of neoliberal reforms so that to receive the next IMF loan that
should help them to stay in power. The property and capitals of the
super-richests remained untouched for new regime but new authorities are
ready to overcome the crisis at the expense of imposing social cuts and
the rise of prices that will affect the impoverished majority of
Ukrainians. So that to divert attention from the issues of own politics,
the rightwing authorities skillfully use the issue of Russian
intervention in Crimea and ignite nationalist and militarist hysteria
inside the country. Unfortunately, a part of our liberal-patriotic
‘left’ willingly buys into this rhetoric. Thus, new authorities try to
channel the anger of defrauded people toward different ‘internal’ or
‘external’ enemies.
Meanwhile, the clashes and shooting spree in the centre of Kiev still
happen – the rivaling paramilitary units fight with each other for the
control over seized buildings or property and continue to unlawfully
detain, beat or torture people. Neo-Nazi gangs openly show off their
racism, sexism or homophobia. They even do not try to hide their weapons
when roaming Kiev streets. Moreover, they have killed some people in
Kharkov. The office of ‘Borotba’ in Kiev was looted as well as offices
of opportunist Communist Party of Ukraine – neo-Nazis seized their
offices and turned them into own ‘bases’. Many monuments to Lenin, to
WWII soldiers or October revolution participants were demolished or
desecrated (including the grave of workers killed in the uprising in
Kiev ‘Arsenal’ and other plants in 1918).
Meanwhile, extraordinary elections are nearing: disappointed or duped
people will have to make a choice just between well-known bourgeois
politicians – corrupt super-riches. At the same time, new authorities by
all possible means try to prevent democratic referendums over the issue
of self-governing in South-eastern regions – where protests against new
regime are glowing. New rulers of Ukraine try to present these protests
as only ‘pro-Russian’ or ‘inspired by the Kremlin’, but the union
‘Borotba’ is effectively fighting for wringing them out of the influence
of pro-russian nationalism. We are irreconcilable opponents to the
Putin’s regime that our Russian comrades are fighting with. We are
against war and any interference into Ukrainian conflict as it may
trigger the military confrontation of two imperialisms.
Expecting the intensification of the current crisis, we are getting
ready to take part in the process of organization of mass protests
against anti-social reforms and far-right terror of new authorities. And
in this context any international support is rather crucial for us. We
are thankful for your attention and solidarity. And especially we would
like to thank our comrades from Southern and Eastern Europe that witness
the rise of ultra-right influence against the background of crisis
caused by neoliberal policy of the EU.
The new government of Ukraine is the most rightwing government of all
that have ever been in Europe since the end of WWII. And this is not
only Ukrainian phenomena but also an alarm call for all European lefts.
Taking into account that EU authorities actively helped Ukrainian
rightwingers to come to power, we understand that it will be a rather
difficult task for us to win a victory over them without responsive
international actions of the lefts in different countries.
The recent protests in Ukraine (November-February 2013-14) have
resulted in establishing of the rightwing political regime, namely the
coalition of ultra-right and neoliberal forces. Paramilitary squads of
the ultra-right groups now control the capital of the country using the
tactics of pogroms and violence against dissenters. They openly demand
to vest them with the power of police and state security service
officially or give them full control over the law enforcement services.
However, the events are unfolding in Ukraine rather quickly,
therefore, demanding a constant correction of the analysis. Some offices
of the left organizations were looted. Activists of left organizations
and trade-unions have undergone violent assaults. The parliament of
Ukraine (in fact controlled by the vice-speaker from the far-right
‘Svoboda’ party) has taken upon itself the power in the country. It
appointed another member of ‘Svoboda’ party as a general prosecutor and
released without court decision all the neo-Nazi militants that were
convicted for crimes including murders.
Many rightwing politicians (from ‘Svoboda’ and other rightwing
parties) were promoted to the positions of ministers. In particular,
they will control education. Nazis started a campaign of mass destroying
of Soviet monuments: to the October Revolution of 1917 and WWII
fighters.
In fact we can speak that it is the most rightwing government in the
history of post-WWII Europe and the most pro-Nazi in its ideology regime
that was imposed in Ukraine. And this thesis is not a kind of
exaggeration – the real consequences of the recent events in Ukraine
we’ll be able to assess properly in the course of time because we still
have not enough full information needed.
Nevertheless, the mass protests in Ukraine were the result of the
deep social-economic crisis – a consequence of neoliberal economic
policy that was being implemented in Ukraine under the pressure of
international banks and other financial structures.
At first sight it could seem a kind of paradox, but the crisis that
was triggered by the rightwing neoliberal policy has led to the
uncontrolled rise of the far-right influence in result. The thing is
that the crisis developed under condition of almost total dominance of
the far-right ideology that didn’t allowed building in Ukraine a
somewhat strong left force. In fact, the rightwingers have occupied the
same niche that the lefts couldn’t occupy. It was the absence of the
left alternative that served as a main pre-condition of providing the
sweeping rise of the far-right groups that have taken over a kind of
monopoly over social protests of Ukrainians.
The lefts – ranging from social-democrats to the groups of new-left –
were driven to the margins of political and social life. It became
possible due to the establishing of the right-liberal consensus that
dominates in social consciousness since the collapse of the USSR. The
intellectuals tolerated ultra-rights backing them politically and
providing the process of de-marginalisation of far-right groups for
Ukrainians. Meanwhile, mass-media demonized and stigmatized left
ideology simultaneously transmitting to social consciousness a historic
mythology of the far-right forces – namely those ones that collaborated
with German Nazis in WWII and are responsible for ethnic cleansing of
Polish population in western Ukraine. It was this kind of propaganda
that has mostly designed the views of the active part in Maidan movement
including significant part of the ‘crisis victims’ – of some of the
‘lumpenized’ layers of society.
And conservative and liberal European politicians have also
contributed to such a grievous result – they recognized ultra-right
‘Svoboda’ party as a legitimate member of the so-called ‘pro-democracy’
opposition to Yanukovich’s regime. Thus, they turned a blind eye to the
xenophobic, homophobic and chauvinist program of this party as well as
on the pogroms and violent actions of its activists.
Moreover, a group of super-rich Ukrainians has also contributed in
organizing Maidan. Those were in particular some oligarchs that were
dissatisfied with the dominance of Yanukovich clan and feared the rise
of his influence that could threaten their economic interests.
This group of oligarchs participated in sponsorship of the
ultra-right groups and provided technical and material equipment for
their actions.
Under such circumstances the Rights succeeded in exploiting and
monopolizing the protest against oligarchic regime of Yanukovich. From
its very beginning they controlled and organized protest actions in
Kiev, therefore, attributing to them rightwing ideology and nationalist
sentiments. Nazi symbols were openly shown off in Maidan while Nazi
slogans were heard quite often there. ‘Pro-democracy’ part of this
movement couldn’t confront such a total domination of the Rights that
succeeded in taking a leading role in Maidan. The real force was on
their side. Well-trained squads of neo-Nazis that were given out
military ammunition have served as the storm-troopers. Despite the fact
that the protest started under ‘pro-European’ slogans, the ultra-rights
initially didn’t hide their hostility to the ‘European’ values and
publicly denied them in their speeches and articles.
The fact that many European observers preferred either to ignore the
domination of far-rights in Maidan or to diminish their influence has
only aggravated the whole situation. In fact such a position was being
perceived as a pardon legitimizing any kind of far-right actions.
Thus, as overall results we have got the disastrous rise of street
violence in Kiev, infighting of armed groups and killing of people –
both supporters and opponents to Maidan. That has led to the collapse of
Yanukovich’s regime. However, as we had warned, it was our ultra-rights
that have essentially benefited from it. De facto they became the
ruling power in most parts of the country because they established
conditions when no one social-political force can really confront them
there.
As a consequence we witness the change of just elites in power but
the interests of the whole ruling class remained untouched. Therefore,
the changes haven’t led to real democratic reforms in the interests of
the majority of people. The situation is deepening now and the oncoming
collapse of the Ukrainian economics is looming. We witness the fast
devalue of Ukrainian currency that threatens with impoverishment of
millions people in Ukraine. The new regime has no funds enough to
guarantee the providing of the basic public spending. Thus, it
negotiates with IMF, EU and US so that to receive new loans that would
be given under condition of total dismantling of the remnants of social
benefit system and rise of the prices for public utilities, electricity
and gas. Moreover, the EU demands from Ukraine to open its internal
market and that may lead to the total undermining of the home production
that cannot survive without some protectionist measures.
This trend when being coupled with violent confrontation in eastern
Ukraine may lead to the dismantling of the state basis and complete
economic and political collapse in the country that in its turn may lead
then to the outburst of the ultra-Right terror. Such a prospect seems
to be quite real in Ukraine and it can happen even in the nearest
future. We think that new regime will use ultra-right paramilitary
squads for suppressing of the social protests and individual dissenters
among ordinary citizens.
Under such circumstances the only alternative is an immediate and
active building of the mass left and antifascist movement, namely the
creation of a subject that may become a base for opposition to the
rightwing regime and possible to organize people that are angry and
dissatisfied with antisocial neoliberal policy.
Moreover, the rightwing ‘revolution’ in Ukraine is also an alarm
clock for all European pro-democracy anti-fascist forces. This trend
actually reveals quite openly that in times of economic crisis – the
uncontrolled rise of the far-right clears the way to a seizing of the
political power. And such a prospect is even more dangerous when we try
to underestimate it.
Andrew Manchuk
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Borotba was founded in 2011 by the Organization of Marxists, dissidents of the Ukrainian Communist Party and its youth organization, the All-Ukrainian Union of Workers, the Youth Association Che Guevara, etc. They held their first congress in April 2012.
Their self-defined ideology is Revolutionary Marxism and was founded to respond to the deep crisis of all Ukrainian parties, including the CPU. They have chosen a non-parliamentary method of political struggle but also support that their members take part in elections, as long as they promote social revolution in office.
They have also been very active against fascist political forces in Ukraine.
Internationally Borotba has campaigned for Cuba, Palestine and Venezuela.
