Interview with the Federation of Anarchists in Moldova

IASR: What is FAM (Federation of Anarchists in Moldova)?

FAM: Federation of Anarchists in Moldova emerged from the desire to create an anarchist coordination and information center. Currently, our main priority is to provide information.

IASR: There is an anarchist movement in Moldova?

FAM: As for now, the anarchist movement in Moldova is at the beginning. That is why we do not have such an intense activity which we can observe in Romania and Ukraine. We must start from the beginning due to the historical context: the anarchist movement in Moldova was permanently part of the Russian anarchist movement, and then, briefly, part of the Romanian anarchist movement, afterwards being completely destroyed during the Soviet period.

IASR: What is the situation of the anarchists in Moldova? Are anarchists repressed?

FAM: As I mentioned before, we start our history from scratch.

IASR: In Romania, the Communists of the Stalinist type disappeared from the political scene, while the Romanian Communist Party was outlawed. On the other hand, in Moldova they were in government and enjoy considerable support. What is the relationship of the anarchists with the PCRM? Is there direct hostility or cordial relations?

FAM: I should mention that PCRM is not an orthodox communist party (of the Marxist, Stalinist or Leninist type); it’s a party that uses the symbols of the Soviet Communists and the word "communism" in its name. In fact, it’s an oligarchic party. This is why we do not build relations with the Communist Party. But we cannot ignore the fact that the PCRM nowadays, has considerable support. The people that support the PCRM are deceived since the Soviet period, they are dogmatic. Our goal is to show them the truth.

IASR: Was there an anarchist participation within the protests of 2009? What is the position of the Moldovan anarchists in connection with the protests?

FAM: It's a very interesting question. In connection with the protests of April 7, 2009, we participated individually. Was April 7th a coup d’état, as suggested by the PCRM? Maybe, maybe not. Maybe it was an attempt by the PCRM to escape from responsibility before the arrival of the global financial crisis, as stated by those who are in power. It can be. We are confident that on April 7, 2009, in the Republic of Moldova, the so called communists from the state power were replaced with the liberals. And taking into account the interests of the workers, we can notice that the current "revolutionary" government is in fact the Liberal government, and this is no different from any liberal government in the world. We have the same so-called liberal reforms that the government implements under the strict guidance of the IMF and we have the corresponding results: worsening social conditions of life for workers.

IASR: What is the opinion of the Moldovan anarchists on the "unionist" issue?

FAM: The question is not simple. But still, we believe that the "unionist" issue is based on Romanian nationalism. At the “union marches” those participating are the “legionaries”, “Iron Guard”, “Action 2012”. To me, it seems that in Romania these organizations are not as active as in Moldova. But this is not all the truth; the activity of the nationalists stimulates the activity among Russian chauvinists (more correctly Russophiles) and so-called "patriots".

IASR: Thank you very much for the interview.

FAM: You're welcome.

website FAM: www.anarchy.md
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PCRM - Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova, is a communist party in Moldova, led by Vladimir Voronin. It is the only communist party to have held a majority in government in the post-Soviet states.The PCRM claims to be the lawful successor and heir of the Communist Party of [Soviet] Moldavia.

The 2009 civil unrest in Moldova began on April 7, 2009, in major cities of Moldova (including the capital Chişinău and Bălţi) before the results of the 2009 Moldovan parliamentary election were announced. The demonstrators claimed that the elections, which saw the governing Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM) win a majority of seats, were fraudulent, and alternatively demanded a recount, a new election, or resignation of the government.

The "unionist" issue refers to the union of Romania and Moldova (known in Romania as "Bessarabia"). The Principality of Moldavia was annexed by the Russian Empire, then incorporated into Romania and eventually annexed again by the emerging USSR.