Kondologa - a popular uprising turned to a pogrom

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Michael Magid

Kondologa - a popular uprising turned to a pogrom

Mass rioting took over city of Kondologa in Carelia for a number of days. Everything began 29th of August as a row in a local cafe "Chayka" between drunken local youth and Chechen criminal group, which was controlling the cafe. Mafia brought in additional force of 10-15, which jumped on Russian youth, shouting "Allah Akbar". A number of passers by, who had nothing to do with the original conflict, suffered as well. Alltogether chechen mafia killed 2 and wounded 8 persons, one of the killed got his ears cut.
These events shook the whole city. During few days much of the adult population of the city, 2000-3000 people gathered in the central square of the city.
In Kondologa, as in majority of Russian cities, inhabitants consist of waged workers and unemployed. Besides these, there is a number of traders in marketplaces. Unfortunately, a spontaneous uprising adopted a fascists resolution in a meeting. Main demand of the local people was "to clean the city up of blacks during 24 hours".
As a result of a conscious manipulation of the people by mass media during last 15 years, opinion that social problems have nationalist solutions has become widespread in the society. Nobody seemed to figure out, that in case Chechen mafia is kicked out from the city, Russian mafia will take their place. We have never heard anything about prospering of Dolgoprudniy, Sverdlovsk or other regions were Russian mafia is on top. Everything is the same there - misery, unemployment, alcoholism - industries, schools, hospitals and housing in disarray. Everywhere, or almost everywhere in Russian province destruction
is widespread, due to bandits of all nationalities, who are controlling local markets, companies and banks.
In Kondopoga, local bourgeoisie and traders had a certain influence to meeting. Often one heard calls to buy products only from Russian traders. This resulted a collective demand of denying Caucasians all places of trade in the city. During meeting one also heard complains about bad treatment of Russian workers by Chechen employers - apparently these had some basis. But unfortunately no-one reminded of countless cases of brutal and humiliating treatment of Russian employees by Russian employers: wages unpaid for years, work during freezing winter in unheated shops, electricity blackouts in housing, schools and hospitals, industries bought by Russian bandits dismantled, resulting millions of people laid off.
During events, a group of young people burned cafe Chayka. One must pay attention to total disinformation about the events in the mainstream media. For example, mainstream media is silent of police brutality. Some quotes from a participator of events:
"Still alive... but ache everywhere.. for just standing by but touching nobody... they just fucked us up completely... police bastards... I am beaten black and blue... I love my country - cops were beating girls and women... about lads I do not even talk about... 3 of my friends are in a hospital with brain crashes and bones broken - this is how we are protected by police..."
"Yesterday police arrested everyone indiscriminately, even lads peacefully sitting at a bus stop, beat them up with batons and stomped on them with their feets, then stuffed them to a bus and took to a police station. They were kept in jail whole night."
"Then cops with armours and democratizators (this means batons - trans.) went running through yards and beat up everyone who were in one kilometer range from the notorious Chayka... I saw a lad pulled over to asphalt, he was beaten up with batons from nose to feet, while they were shouting BEAT IT I GET HIS BALLS.. guy could not even protect himself anymore... totally trashed... my friend was jumped with batons from behind.. I tried to rise my hands to protect myself, they almost broke my fingers.. all my hands in blood..."
Perhaps needless to say, that these cops were mainly of Russian nationality. Although in Kondopoga there is an opinion, that they have been bought by Chechen mafia. But even if it was so, does someone really believe that cops would not act just like that, if people did not liked behavior of Russian mafia and began attacking its premises and homes? Would not cops run to trash people just like this for Russian mafia as well? And what about police in any time of the year - are they so fresh and so clean? Is there someone who does not know how Russian cops beat and mangle Russian (and other) people? Cops may be nice in movies, but who has not seen how they treat people?
In Kondopoga we saw an attempt of people to set up an organ of self-governance, a regular meeting of people who would make resolutions, which according to opinion of the people authorities should fulfill. But riots became nationalist ones. So if the initiative of the inhabitants will be a success, people will not gather anymore (as there is no more reason for meetings). Thus power will remain in hands of the people to whom it belongs now - to officials, who spit on the people and who, as we know very well, are only interested about stealing and filling their pockets from the people. What more? Some trading spots will perhaps move from hands of Chechen bandits to Russian bandits (mafia). This is the goal of local Russian bourgeoisie and bandits.
Is this movement ordered or initiated by fascists or local traders? No, that claim is a lie by mainstream media. It was a popular riot, of working people, which developed to a nationalistic direction, safe for authorities - partly due to events themselves, partly due to initiative of local traders. 90% of the inhabitants of Kondopoga gain nothing from fulfilling of the demands of the popular meeting. If before, it was Chechen bandits looting, exploiting and killing people, now this will be done by Russian bourgeoisie and bandits. This is all the difference. One may wonder is it so much better to have ones throat cut and daughter or sister raped by Russian bandit, and not a bandit of some other nationality.
These events could have been more useful for working people of the city only if they were directed not only against the Chechen bourgeoisie, but against bourgeoisie in general. Popular meeting would have concentrated to its hands making of all main decisions, and it could have gathered for example once or twice a month. They could have expelled the local government, who had sold out for the bourgeoisie. It would have been possible and necessary to elect a local council, consisting of trusted people, to work on administrative questions, with a right to immediately recall these people in case they do not fulfill responsibilities passed to them by the general meeting. In the end, all companies of the city should have been passed to workers collectives, and they should have formed together a collective to fulfill all necessary needs of the city inhabitants. It would have been also necessary to shut up all babbling from mainstream news - they may only lie, and support the bourgeoisie.
As long as these measures are not taken, nothing makes sense. From nationalistic actions, only innocent people from both sides will suffer, whereas bandits will prosper. And life will go on as before, it will not become no better, nor more just.