Date: Wed, 10 Apr 2002
Demonstration against Israel war in Moscow

Last tuesday saw first major anti-war demonstration
in Moscow, it was organised from Barrikadnaya metro station
to US embassy. There were 400-500 participators, a very big
number in Moscow (biggest demos against second Chechen war
were this scale), 95% palestinians and other arabs. Maybe
20 nazibols (National Bolshevik Party)
and other red-browns shouting for Bin-Laden, without
any support among arabs. There was no other leftist presence,
except one or two USSR flags. Next demonstration will be
organised in Friday at Israel embassy, which increases danger
that more anti-semites will show up. I think real leftists should
participate,
altough the nazibol presence is a problem about which
something should be done.

Date: Fri, 12 Apr 2002
Another anti-occupation demo in Moscow

There was another demonstration in Moscow today, 12 o'clock in the 
Israel embassy, some two hundred people, again 95% palestinians. 

Speeches were strange, there was leader of Russian moslem 
community, representative of orthodox church and KPRF (Biggest communist party, quite
much similar to Front Natioal in real politics) duma deputy among others. It seems
like palestinian speakers were speaking much less shit than 
Russians, for example leader of Russian moslem community 
shouted "long live Russia", agitated against "mondialisation" (Le
Pen's term for globalisation) and how Russia should be great 
superpower. One should keep in mind, that mainstream Islam in Russia
does not opt for separatism, but for patriotist (as contrary to nationalist),
multi-cultural and federative Russian empire. 

Nazibols did not showed up this time, maybe palestinian organisers
told them they are not welcome which would be great. There were no 
usual stalinists either, so I was only leftist in both narrow and wide meanings
of the word. But very strange
event occurred when a group of 40-50 "mainstream" (as opposite to
"leftwing" nazibols) nazis without uniforms came. 
I still do not get what were they doing there - if they came for the action, 
why did not they joined? If they came for pogrom, why weren't they armed?
Maybe they figured out they were outnumbered, but maybe better explanation 
is that some of their leadership, which tried to copy German model of
ultra-right palestinian solidarity, ordered them to go there, but on the 
spot cannon fodder realized that those in demonstration were blacks, and
they did not joined. After demonstration group of palestinian youth organised
a street patrol to beat up nazis, but as much as I know no nazis were caught. 

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