Statement and denouncement of the attacks against a member of the KRAS-IWA from the so-called MPST group

The purpose of this statement is to disprove the lies and shed light on the real state of affairs in our organization.

April 8th, 2013 a statement was published on libcom.org website, condemning the activities of our group and calling for boycott MPST and other Russian anarchist organizations and individuals who does not share the position of Russian IWA section KRAS regarding our organization.

Previously, we have been encountered such groundless criticism from KRAS(members of which were in the same organization with some of us before) multiple times. Several years ago, MPST proposed to organize a mediation court because of accusations of MPST members in nationalism and collaboration with the police from the KRAS side. Then, KRAS members refused to carry out the mediation court and declared that all the organizations in Moscow anarchist community, who did not agree with them, were non-anarchist. After that incident, we have not considered KRAS declarations in our address seriously, because we have been sure, that other Russian anarchists would consider them as lies.

However, the fact that the next declaration, containing lies about our group has been published in the name of IWA Secretariat, causes serious concerns among us. We can not put up with the fact that this slander has gone international and could deceive our foreign comrades. Among other things, the fact that some KRAS members have succeeded in deceiving IWA and involuntary have pulled an international anarchist organization in their slanderous campaign, arouses our indignation.

KRAS members, who are spreading the slander about MPST, are skillful at mixing speculations and blatant lie in their declarations. They mention our organization in the context of condemnation of right-wing and national-socialist organizations to present our organization as one of these "national-anarchist" or "right-wing" organizations to the reader.

The main person, who spreads lies and slander about MPST is know as Vadim Graevsky(his real name will be sent with the copy of this letter, addressed to IWA). He has been a participant of anarchist movement for a long time, and has acquired the credit of foreign comrades. However, currently he is busy, mainly, with creating of own "leading anarchist in Russia" reputation, and abusing and slandering of those, who in his opinion, are his "competitors" or who simply does not express "the adequate honor" to him. As a result, currently, in the anarchist circles of Russia (as well as of many in Ukraine and Belarus) Graevsky is considered by all, except several supporters, as a troublemaker, who does not deserve to be believed. Nevertheless, IWA seems to be not aware of this, and Graevsky continues to use IWA's credit, which probably has been the cause of such uncritical perception of his information in the IWA.

We hope that our comrades in IWA will take information from Graevsky more critically and check its authenticity in future. "Authority", according to the principles of anarchism, can not be a criteria of rightness and grant priority in trust.

Our true position

We have wanted to describe the true positions and ideological attitudes of our group. Interprofessional Workers Union (MPST) is an anarcho-communist organization. We stand for creation of anarcho-communist society worldwide. We adhere to the principles of internationalism, i.e. we stand for unity of the workers of all nations in their struggle against capitalism, against imperialist wars, against nationalism, against any forms of racism, chauvinism or apartheid.

In our Manifesto ( http://mpst.org/o_nas/mezhprofessionalnyiy-soyuz-trudyashhihsya-kto-myi-... ) we also affirm that we are not against any particular ethnic cultures, i.e. we do not require all the people to become cosmopolitan. In the same time, we are against the ideas of superiority of some ethnic cultures over others, and against quarrel between the people of different ethnic cultures. We believe that every individual, according to ones own desire, can regard oneself as either cosmopolitan or as man of any ethnic culture. In the last case, we do not condemn such self-identification, except for cases when it is used for maintaining ideas of ethnic enmity or ethnic superiority. Any claims that MPST is a "national-anarchist" should be therefore considered as lies.

Unfortunately, there are some groups in Russia, who belongs to a so-called "national-revolutionary" wing. In the Spring 2012, during our congress, we decided that any collaboration with such groups is intolerable for our organization. Therefore, any claims stating that MPST collaborates with national-"anarchists" should be considered as lies.

In our Manifesto we stand for liquidation of all forms of oppression, including patriarchy and heteronormativity. Some participants of our organization (men and women) collaborate with anarcho-feminist groups and individuals. Therefore, any claims that MPST supports homophobia or misogyny should be considered as lies.

So this is some weird shit here then innit?

I have never heard of the MPST. I do know that there is a dangerous influence of 'national anarchists' and even ethnically separatist 'left communists' in Russia, worming its way inside the proletarian political movement. I also know that the KRAS was the first anarchist group to really convince us (i.e as the ICC, not just as particular comrades) that there could be a genuinely internationalist anarchism. All the statements that that they have produced on Russia's wars since our first meeting in the early 2000s have confirmed their ability to stand up for working class internationalism in a very difficult and dangerous national context. The latest statement, on Ukraine, is probably the most important one they have produced to date. So in general I would 'defend the honour' of the KRAS. I would do the same for Vadim, who comes under for special attack in MPST's statement. I have met him in his home, and I have read his book on the history of anarcho-syndicalism, and I found it to be a very serious work. I also think that Vadim took an active part in the first Praxis conference we attended in Moscow, where we first encountered the KRAS. I don't know about his faults, but what I mentioned above is enough to mark him as a militant of our class.

So my first reaction to this is to state my solidarity with KRAS and with Vadim.

PS, I haven't discussed this with other ICC comrades so it's 'in a personal capacity' for the moment.

High-School professorial-chair is the "frontier of war" now?

Alf,

There are some national-"anarchist" like groups in Russia, but MPST has nothing to do with them. We do neither collaborate with them, nor support or welcome such groups. We see such groups as potentially dangerous.

We support internationalist anarchism, albeit we usually do not produce such loud statements while sitting in comfortable professor chairs as some KRAS members do

Two members from Moscow group participated in Euromaidan events in Kiev among with other Ukrainian and Russian anarchists.

Now we condemn Russia's imperialist aggression against Ukraine, we consider it counter-revolutionary (although it is rather a bourgeois-democratic revolution).

Some seedy KRAS members seems to use the following dirty trick to denigrate our organization: they give some true information about real nationalists, chauvinistic groups (whom we condemn too), and then add their lies to their texts about MPST. For untutored readers, as well as for foreigners who have no ability to check it by seeing the situation in Russia immediately, it might look as the truth about MPST.

Oh God, not only that MPST flowed over the entire internet to , so I have to read your lies also in English . I invite members MPST that said cooperation with the nationalists " rewarding experience " threaten objectionable violence, attack the activists working with the new right , and are now trying to fool with lies foreign comrades off the Internet and not be reminded of the existence of a howl . Honestly, you're already tired of hypocrites . Under each article published KRAS you start writing your lies and insults . That this is the same , little brown sect , and the stench from both the SS division

Who, and when?

Links, please!

KRAS tends to create a good image internationally, but in Moscow anarchist community they have proven to be liars who refused to take part in mediation court regarding their rootless accusations. Then they preferred to blame every Russian anarchist activist and organization who disagree with them as fascists or new-right.

They lie to their Western comrades about situation in Russian anarchist circles. They are not "the only true internationalist anarchist organization" in Russia. They have no tight links with labor movement, newly emerged unions are under heavy influence of authoritarian left and trotskyst organizations, not anarchists. By their scandalous behavior, they destroyed the reputation of IWA and anarcho-syndicalism in Russia.

Admin remove name from MPST's original torrent of noxious diarrhorrea. I'm unable to report the post for some reason. Also please agree at exactly what point you're gonna ban this Nazi cunt. If we can't even get the fascists out of the Ukranian/Russian Libcom coverage then we really are fucked.

This ethno babble is complete SHIT and don't see how it is compatible with internationalism - except like in the same way that nationalists have their "internationals" (where they also complain about capitalism - don't you know that those people are also "anti-capitalism" complaining about the capitalist devil undermining their culture). You people fucked up so badly with this shit, you became red and brown, not red and black. And I saw how passionately a few bull-headed individuals defended that - although here you don't even comment on the statements of your comrades you were defending.

And by the way, why the fuck would anybody want "mediation" in some kangaroo court? If you were defending those positions, there is really no reason for this.

yeah, don't worry about this for the time being, the Russian intervention in Ukraine is way more important! And I'm sure I don't speak just for myself in saying that I would take the word of the IWA over some group I have never heard of - at least for the time being

Militant Boy,

We do not support Insarov's position on possibility of alliance with "revolutionary" nationalists, it is a decision of our organization. Author of that post says, that it does not seems worth to make alliance with the whole organization, hence it might be worth communicating with some people [who moved from nationalist to left position]. In my opinion, it is really disputable question, there are many possible dangers here. But, at the same time, CNT stayed in an anti-fascist front with Bask and Catalan nationalists during Civil War in Spain, author mentions.

Author states, that In many post-"communist" countries there are practically no libertarian left, as communism is firmly associated among the people with Stalinist- regimes of the past, so some people from left-nationalists circles might change their views, become anti-authoritarian, reject xenophobia, and become potential ally of libertarian communist. Again, it is a quite disputable question, but such opinion is not a reason to blame someone as nationalist or national-anarchist.
Author also mentions, that such alliances are useless in Russia, because libertarian left is strong enough here.

As for Russian Indymedia (which does not function for 2 or 3 years btw.): many of KRAS articles published there were really slanderous regarding MPST or some of our members. Imagine, you were under constant attack of such lies, what would you do then?

After many MPST articles published in Indymedia and other internet resources, KRAS members, mainly its Leader, used to left many slanderous comments too

Please note, what these people DO NOT DO is take responsibility for the actions of its member who is homophobic and made a physical attack related to this, nor did they distance themselves from the crazy "ethnist" views of its other member... Instead, they put a lot of energy into defending those views. Then just on top of that to say "we are not nationalists!" etc. I would like to see a link to any statement MPST has made condeming the actions of their member who made this attack and making a clear statement that they do not tolerate homophobia.

I won't hold my breath though.

I am a member of MPST and that is me, who "attacked" KRAS-member as they have said in their statement.

Firstly, when I see so many tendentious comments of forum members against MPST - I would like to ask you only one question: do you really think that you can make objective opinion about us when you rely on words of only one or few persons? Lora, as far as I know - you are famailiar with some people who are now blamed by KRAS as "fscists", "homophobic", etc. Why don't you even email them for their attitude on all this charges? I see that one of KRAS member is good comrade for some of you, but really is it enogh to take on trust so serious accusation? If it is so - please, check your own libertarian conditions before blaming us of something. I believe when some "old, well-known and competent" comrade take a privillege to force his point of view without any alternative and appeal - it is really bad symptom.

I would like to adress a comrade, who said that he has often heard about KRAS, but never about MPST. So please consider that till 2008 it was one organisation. Name KRAS was used for a whole one, MPST was name of its Moscow group.

So "schism" of KRAS is another great story. Actually it was only two members of KRAS who proclamed themselves "true" organisation, when they make their "vote" amongst people who was initiated to KRAS during 1-2 weeks by this two people unknown to other members of organisation. they also used trust of some people who was inactive for the long time, but formally remained members of group. But evem with its inactive members - they didn't take a majority of votes of formal members. Reason of all this - mostly personal conflict, which was [as it popular on "political" scene] falsyfied as ideological. So because one of these two had accumulated all international relations of our group in his own hands [partly because of his personal relations and good knowlege of foreign languages, but also - for our own lazyness and unexpectedness of such behavior from our yesterday comrade] - he presented this case to the world from his point of view. As far as I know IWA-congress had just agree with him, and the second side of conflict weren't even listened! Even if we are "fascists and police informers" as its people say - such a situation is a symptom of crisis of any procedures of direct democracy in international level of IWA. So, why one "competent" have power to exclude entire group?? You think we are fascists - please take a work to prove this! And of course when leader of 3-men sect brand us as 3-men sect [yes - most of anarchist groups in Russia are very small and KRAS is far from being an exclusion] it sounds really funny.

What about my position on ethnicity? So, my quotation made by your "old and competent" are so fragmental and taken away from context, that it has lost any of its sense and evidental force. He also uses a difficulties of translation to make his position more acceptable for you. For example, in Russian academic and popular tradition term ethnos is more oftem about a kind of cultural "community" or "generality", but as far as I know - in Europe it is mostly about biological types and race. For cultural ones European anthropologists often use term "ethnic group" or something like that.

So I would like to tell briefly what I think about it. For me personally and for many of my close people it is important to be a part of Russian cultural heritage. You can treat me as ignorant, but you can not deny my right for personal and group cultural identity. So I think people have right to have nothing in common with ethnicity if they don't want to. Of course I am opposed to any attempts of powerful denial of cultural exchange between different ethnic groups - so in past years I have some theoretical prejudices on this subject: about assimilation,etc. I never was against interracial relations [I have Russian and Jewish "mix" myself]. I think every people have undoubted right on cultural self-determination - and so for ethnic identity. You can disagree and think about ethnicity as "repressive construct", etc. But why philosophic and more sophistic disagreement should become practical hunting and exclusion of "dessidents", while our group always took part in antifascist struggle and strongly opposed migrantofobia and racism in Russian social movements?

And now about this "violent incident". It was not enough for KRAS members in their hysteria to brand me and my comrades as fascists. They also made an accusation of me as of "police informer". here is an article, where KRAS member D. who then was kicked, tell this lies about me: http://st-kropotkin.livejournal.com/115896.html?thread=87224
please forgive me, but I will not translate such a big pierce of demagogy, lies and abuse of my own dignity to English. So their reason was an incident which took place in 2007, when I was 17 years old. After one of the protest actions I was secretly captured by police and then beaten and tortured with fired cigarette. Policemen have demanded to give them information about my comrades. But I didn't, I was able to convince them that I don't have any information interesting for them. Then they forced me to give an oral agreement to communicate with them in future, also I mustn't tell anybody about this agreement. So when finally I went home - the first comrade who I talked with - was Vadim Grayevsky, because in that time I have not many anarchist comrades and because I was affraid of police but I trusted Grayevsky because he was an old movement member and was familiar to my father. In these days we were comrades from one organisation. Month later, after my university practice far from Moscow, I made a public statement about this story on Web, and all comrades have known about it. And of course I can swear that I didn't give any information to police - so officers even didn't try contact me after this. And those days Grayevsky and his comrade D. just showed their sympathy and support for me. But then, one year later, when this conflict arose - they used this case for company of hunting against me. They tried to convince comrades ignorant of the case - that I must be excluded from the movement due to my "agreement" of cooperating with police. So they made many insinuations that it is possible that I really collaborate with police and for some times Grayevsky directly branded me as informer. So then they denied to have an arbitrage with us for proving their charges.

So I am by no way a violent man or macho - for me it is even difficult to start fight when it is really needed. And I know that "fascist" unfortunately became a kind of polemic bugaboo in leftist scene. So I don't care. But I really think that false accusations of police informent - is too hard abuse to leave it without any reaction. So I took my chance to do it and kicked D. in a face once. I really think that violence is not normal way to solve conflict, especially inside an anarchist scene, but also I believe that one has a right to defend its pride when somebody had strongly insulted it.

Get tae fuck.

yup. Here is one of his comments on a related thread as well:

So, won't you make any contentous commentaries? Why people must refuse all ethnic roots, while they already support international solidarity and free cultural relations between different peoples, and also recognize everyone's right of not belonging to any ethnic group? From you - it is not even dogmatism (because most of anarchist and a.-s. such as Bakunin, Kropotkin, Rocker, etc. did recognize ethnic self-determination), so - it is just a kind of stagnancy of thinking. Because in practice such ideas don't subverse internationalist position, but many people, even between anarchists, prefer to react to some words just as it was incantation better than think.

And, however that may be, it is very indicative when anybody from the whole text take only this part.

Well, it is up to you to simulate "active struggle" against war now, while in fact you just use this pretense to avoid proving of your false accusation.

So, please tell to everybody, what in my story about my problems with police is untrue? Don't you confused by the fact that I was the only source of this story, and if I didn't tell about my agreement - you never know about it? And please tell us, why you didn't trat me as informer for year, but then started hysteria about it? And if you really "don't affirm" - so shut up about it, because you already have directly charged me as informer. Here is the quotation of Grayevsky, adressed to me, taken from inner mail list of moscow anarchists. Word "стукачок" means police informer.

And if you want to charge me in provocations - be concrete. Who was arrested in these actions? From what sources you have an information that I am followed by police? Or may be all this - just another part of unsubstantiated accusations and lies?

And what about "most of moscow group to vote against me" - didn't you personally initiate to KRAS for this action people who never or for many-many years had nothing in common with our group? You have used even people, who was far more "fascist" (you know whom I mean) than me. All this is crying shame, and you here use only trust of foreign comrades due to your familiarity and language barrier. I think one of good evidense of your lies is the fact, that the most of moscow community has condemned your actions. So did, for example, moscow group of Avtonomous Action, a group strongly affiliated with LGBT and feminist activity. You know about their statement about your lies, and if you try to deny it - we will translate and publish it here. And everybody who is familiar with AA activists can contacr them and check the truth of my words.

There were other statements on this subject from moscow anarchists: http://anarhia.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=17793

And now I would like to adress european comrades - you can desagree with me, but tell, what is "fascist" or incompatible with internationalism in my position? And please pay more attention to practice - our group is in all kinds of our struggle promotes international solidarity and cooperation of workers of different root and identities in their everyday struggle for their rights and for liberation. And I believe that it is far more important and indicative than thousand of empty word statements.

admin note: DCH has been banned for his "ethnic self-determination" nonsense

Akai,

Please note again, that it was personal enmity between our member and a person( who proclaimed himself as LGBT-activist), which caused the attack. It was not homophobia. The reason was his long-lasting slander. Not every attack on a sexual minority or LGBT-activist can be explained as caused by homophobia. Otherwise, it would be a good help for any "troll" to guarantee ones "immunity".

Our position on that incident is that is was caused by personal conflict. Our member, who hit that man, does not support or advocate homophobia.

You can check our manifesto:

What do you call "crazy "ethnist" views"?

Here is an example of KRAS leader's lies: