More than 40 people were killed and nearly 200 were wounded in the tragic clash of right-wing combatants in Odessa on May 2: football hooligans and Euromaidan self-defence on the one side; Stalinists, pro-Russian paramilitaries and local police force on the other.
It started as a belligerent mob, comprised of men with “St. George’s ribbons” and red armbands (such armbands were also spotted on some police officers), wielding clubs and firearms, approached the march “for united Ukraine” which was made up of right-wing football hooligans joined by a large crowd of civilian people. As fighting began between the sides, the riot police provided cover to the attackers and cooperated with them. 4 people were killed. It is noteworthy that in the previous days the Antimaidan protesters had repeatedly marched along the centre of Odessa and never met any physical counteraction either from their political opponents or the police.
Civilian “pro-Ukrainian” crowd didn’t disperse after the shootings; enraged, they started the counterattack. As the fighting became sufficiently intense, some of pro-Russian combatants withdrew to the Afina trading center, which was then blocked by the police. The crowd, incited by hooligans, followed the other part of the attackers and proceeded to rout the Antimaidan camp, located near the Trade Union house. The Antimaidan protesters fled to that building and then the entrances were barricaded. It should also be noted that Alexey Albu, leader of Stalinist Borotba organization, personally urged protesters to come inside the blocked building, although never joined them himself.
We see this as a proof enough to any left or anarchist organization in the world to sever any ties, either financial or informational, with this organization. By sending them money you would fund the civil war; by spreading their statements and supporting them morally you would contribute to their war propaganda.
Violence continued, as Euromaidan crowd surrounded the Trade Union house and combatants from both sides fired shots and hurled Molotov cocktails both to and fro the roof of the building. At this moment is still unclear which factor contributed the most to the fire, which burned some and suffocated others to death.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcERmnGY9Os
We are sure that the violence of right-wing hooligans was the integral part of this tragedy. However, it is clear that this violence was planned for and counted on. The people who should also be held responsible are the pro-Russian instigators and the local police, who supported them.
Members of AWU wish to express their deepest mourning for the victims. They fell prey to the interests of the forces that consistently try to instigate a civil war in Ukraine. Sadly, large parts of the working class are disoriented and serve as merely blind puppets in the hands of such forces, giving their lives for utterly stupid and meaningless things and ideas. The immediate effect of the escalation of this tragically pointless conflict is the split of the working class in Ukraine. While some workers are threatening with a political strike in support of the Antimaidan, several members of the (pro-Maidan) Confederation of Free Trade Unions are being kidnapped by Antimaidan forces. Instead of taking a united stance against the neoliberal policies of the government, proletarians are busy fighting each other for the interests of various bourgeois cliques.
The final result of such policies will be a civil war in Ukraine, which will mean an ultimate catastrophe for the working class. We are not pacifists and will be at the side of the working class whenever it fights against the bourgeoisie, no matter what forms this fight takes — but this is not the case in Ukraine nowadays. The disoriented and weak proletariat will be busy engaging in self-destruction; the outcomes will be drastic fall of life standards, rise of unemployment and criminal activities, and loss of huge number of lives. All prospects of working-class self-organization and mobilization will be buried for some time.
We can see that this scenario is being pushed forward by the alliance of various right-wing groups, nazis, conservatives and Stalinists. It is important to understand that Antimaidan cannot be considered a “working-class social protest”: the typical demands of this movement in various towns are dictated by the most reactionary clerical conservatives (abolition of electronic IDs because they include “the Number of the Beast”; banning of vaccination; etc.) and have little to do with the interests of workers.
On the other hand, we are disgusted by the reaction of the right-liberal and patriotic general public which takes delight in the Odessa deaths. However wrong the killed people might have been, they shouldn’t have died in this brutish accident. As Ukrainian workers side with various warring right-wing movements, they are sliding further from socialism to barbarism. The cure is well-known: we should realize our own class interests, organize at workplaces and direct our rage against the real enemy, not at each other. In days like these global workers’ solidarity means very much. The global working class is doomed to eliminate itself: either in the process of social revolution and construction of a classless society or in the process of a barbaric all-out war.
No gods, no masters, no nations, no borders!
Autonomous Workers’ Union – Kiev
5 May 2014
Quelle: http://avtonomia.net/2014/05/05/awu-kiev-statement-odessa-tragedy/
Hinweis auf Bericht zum 2. Mai
Der Bericht von Borotba (die einen Toten und ein weiteres schwer verletztes Mitglied zu beklagen haben) wurde auf linksunten geloescht. Er liegt auf Englisch auf der Website von Borotba und ebenfalls in deutscher Uebersetzung vor (wer sucht findet).
Ich finde es politisch falsch, das zu loeschen, der AWU aber zu erlauben, in ihren Artikeln hier platte Diffamierungen gegen Borotba zu bringen. Der Hauptzweck von AWU scheint darin zu bestehen, diese kaempferische Organisation zu diffamieren, von den wirklichen russischen Nationalisten dagegen wird Borotba als pro-europaeisch beschimpft! Der Grund muss darin liegen, dass Borotba im Gegensatz zur (pro-russischen) KP eine durchaus dynamische Kraft in den aktuellen Protesten ist und es ihnen gelingt, viele Aktive zu gewinnen, die aus richtigen Gruenden mit der KP oder anderen reformistischen Organisationen gebrochen haben.
Zensur
Leider hat linksunten.indymedia offensichtlich zu Viele, die meinen, das ihre Zensur legitim und nur ihre Meinung die Richtige ist. Und ihre Infos zur Ukraine wahrscheinlich der "deutschen Presse und TV" entnehmen. Eine Schande!!!! Für jedeN, der sich als links versteht.
Moderationskriterien
Borotba ist eine Partei und ihre Texte werden deshalb versteckt – wie die anderer Parteien auch.
Borotba
Borotba versteht sich als politische Gruppierung und ist weder als Partei registriert, noch bezeichnen sie sich als solche.
Na sicher.
Eine marxistische-leninistische Assoziation freier Menschen? Nenn es wie du willst, die Moderationskriterien sind eindeutig:
..
und weil der Name es sagt ist die AWU natürlich hierarchiefrei?! Und du /weißt/ das? Hinterfrag mal die Hierarchie in deinem Hirn. Und lasse berechtigte Kommentare wie den ersten sichtbar stehen, sonst ist spätestens das sehr nah zur zensur.
Selbstverständlich
Natürlich zensieren wird, das haben wir ja in den Moderationskriterien auch so geschrieben. Texte autoritärer Gruppen wie Borotba werden zwar nur versteckt (sind also im Verstecktarchiv weiter einsehbar), aber auf der Seite stehen lassen werden wir sie nicht.
Zu dem Kommentar: Wenn eine Diskussion über die Moderation gestartet wird, dann wird das eingeklappt, weil es nichts mit der Sache zu tun hat. Das mag dir gefallen oder auch nicht.
Blödsinn
Aus einem Konflikt zwischen Linken Kräften in einem Land beide zu Wort kommen lassen ist als "Werbung für..."? Was fürn Blödsinn.
Nope
Ja genau, wir lassen autoritäre Kräfte hier nicht zu Wort kommen. Das wirst du wohl akzeptieren müssen.
Zur Zensur...
Liebe Mods, eurer Handeln hier ist Begrüßungswort. Leider lasst ihr ständig autoritäre Kräfte hier zu Wort kommen und die Berichterstattung über den 1. Mai (schaut euch die Demos in Stuttgart, Hamburg und Frankfurt doch mal an) und die Ukraine wird teilweise von ihnen bestimmt. Borotba zu zensieren ist erst der Anfang, dann sollte es auch bei ihren deutschen GenossInnen geschehen, die hier seit Monaten veröffentlichen. Die autoritär-kommunistische Propaganda in Kommentaren und Texten auf Linksunten steht im Widerspruch zu euren Moderationskriterien. Die Unterteilung in Gut und Böse und das Unterschlagen des Terrors der jeweiligen Gegenseite sollte alleine auf autoritär kommunistischen Medien bzw den einseitig berichteten Massenmedien zu finden sein und nicht in "unseren" Medien. Eurer Handeln hier macht Hoffnung, bitte konsequent weiterführen...
WHAT THE F***
How exactly do you know those people were Pro-Russians my friend. Its much more likely to have been instigated wholly by Kiev and Right Sector, just like on Maidan. If you have ANY proof that points otherwise share.
This on the other hand looks like intelligence agencies trying to cover treir tracks by any means, like in this case, masking as AWU or having influenced them. Only Kievs demonstrators were so pumped up vor violence and had weapons other than that fat motherf**er on the pics. As i said, i highly doubt his ties to russia. Looks more like Timoschenkos Thugs went rampid here. And mine is a gut feeling too, but i am open to anything that points otherwise. Why should Odessan Police act the way they did if they were Pro-Russian? 1. Let the people clash 2. Let the fat guy kill pro-kiev-demonstrators 3. let the mob go to the trade union house and go crazy 4. Not save the people inside 5. JAIL the surviviors.
Your turn!