Антифа

This interview was conducted editors of zine Left side terraces. This information-analytical magazine about fan movements close to the left positions.

- Tell us about your city of Zagreb. What football traditions in your
city?

Zagreb is a capital of Croatia, and the biggest city with 700,000 people living in it, and around a million with the surroundings.

31st of January A-ryhmä and Anarchist Black Cross of Helsinki organised a support concert  Helsinki, with Jyrki Nissinen & Isotissinen, Euro Crack, Bunny and Max Peezay from Sweden. 

In end of the event, a support photo was taken for Joel, who is imprisoned in Sweden for defending anti-racist demonstration in Kärrtorp of Stockholm last December.  

On February 16, Lithuanian Nationalist Youth Union (LTJS – Lietuvių Tautinio Jaunimo Sąjunga) will organise the traditional march in Kaunas: once again, guised under Lithuanian flags, they will propagate xenophobic, racist, homophobic and sexist ideas. The crew of antifa.lt calls for all who see inherent fascism in the famous slogan "Lithuania for Lithuanians" to join the anti-march protest. Antifascists and their friends are to gather by Miesto sodas (opposite the municipality) at 3 PM.

On Friday 10th of January Basmanniy district court of Moscow ceased criminal case against Alexey Olesinov, Alexey Sutuga, Alyon Volikov and Babken Guskasyan. All four were accused of “hooliganism”, a criminal offense which is included in the amnesty bill, approved as a PR stunt on initiative of Vladimir Putin himself in advent of the Sochi Winter Olympics – most known amnestied political prisoners being 30 detainees of the Arctic Sunrise ship of Greenpeace, and two imprisoned members of Pussy Riot.

Around 3:45 pm the participants of the independence march attacked Przychodnia social centre. It is owing only to our own determination and calmness that we managed to resist the nationalist aggression. A few people were injured but nobody's life is in danger.

4 of November in Yekaterinburg was held an antifascist action. This day Russian neo-nazis traditionally organizing so-called "Russian March". In fact, Russian holiday called "Day of National Unity" is the day of nazi riot and xenophobia.

It is estimated that during Russia's New Year's holiday Finland is visited by hundreads of thousands Russian guests. Only in Helsinki there will be at least 130.000 visitors. Many of them want to make rebellion plans to get rid of Putin's regime and they 'hide' their visit as a normal family holiday without anykind of control by FSB or Center of Extermism. 

On Tuesday, October 1, Moscow’s Basmanny District Court extended until February 6, 2014, the arrest of Alexei Gaskarov, whom police investigators suspect of involvement in the “mass riots” on Bolotnaya Square on May 6, 2012. Gaskarov has been charged with violating Article 212, Section 2 (participation in mass riots) and Article 318, Section 1 (use of violence against authorities) of the Russian Federal Criminal Code.

On September 11, another activist of left wing student union “Direct Action” was attacked by a fascist paramilitary group with their faces covered. The attack happened in a public place in the city centre, near the subway station. The activist was not robbed, and the attack was video recorded by the offenders. The activist fainted and the passerby witnessed the attack called the ambulance and the police. Pavlo Myronov is in the hospital with a brain concussion and partial memory loss.

Four anarchist anti-fascists from Kazan, Oleg Kapustyanov, Ruslan Rostov, Timur Dornonin and Artyom Sher are currently in remand prison. Fifth suspect, Dmitri Ilichev is under traveling restrictions. Goal of the imprisonment is to pressure them to plea guilty.

27th of June 2013, arrest of Irina was prolonged until 2nd of October. She was arrested 2nd of July 2012, so now Irina has already spent more than one year in prison without a court! Arrest of Irina was prolonged due to dubious claims of her alleged "victims" that they still have not acquintanced themselves with the results of the investigation. 

In the end of the international solidarity week for Alexey Gaskarov and prisoners of 6th of May, a group of supporters in Helsinki locked the car entrance of Russian embassy in Helsinki - as long as our comrades are in captivity, the cars of Russian diplomats should stay in captivity as well.

19th of June Moscow city court accepted appeal of criminal investigators to release Alexey Sutuga trial pending with a condition of a bail.

Dmitri Zvanko  – is anti-fascist from Brest. He was arrested 9th of May 2013, as one of 5 anti-fascists who were suspected of a fight with far-right activists the day before. Arrested anti-fascists were beaten up and put under psychological pressure, Dmitri failed a complaint on his treatment although he was pressured not to do so. 19th of May four of the arrested were released, but Dmitri was charged with statute 339.3 of the Belarusian criminal codex (malicious hooliganism with a group of people), which carries a prison sentence from 3 to 10 years.

7th of June, anti-fascist Alexey "Shkobar" Olesinov was released pending trial. Moscow city court made a decision on appeal against arrest, filled by Olesinov's lawyer Svetlana Sidorkina. Court released Olesinov, as most serious charges against him (Causing grievous bodily harm, statute 111 of the Russian criminal codex) were dropped in late May. 

Member of Autonomous Action, anarchist Alexey Sutuga has been remanded for more than a year. Police has intentionally delayed the investigation, they were only working on the case for the first 2-3 months of the arrest, and since then investigation has stalled. Formally Alexey is accused according to statute "hooliganism" of Russian criminal codex, for having taken part to a fight during an anti-fascist concert.

Free Alexei Gaskarov and the Prisoners of May 6!

It is late, but I still want to congratulate all the comrades and friends with May Day and the Day of Liberation of the world from the Nazi threat in the memorable days of 1945. The symbolism of the holidays for me is still an important part of those ideas that I live for, although already the second year in a row I am unable to take part in their celebrations. But even in prison, they are life-affirming, as most of the people who surround me here could stand with me in the same column in freedom, shoulder to shoulder.