Eco-Defense and Repression in Russia

CrimethInc. Special Report

We just received this inspiring and instructive report from anonymous comrades in Russia, describing two years of struggle against logging operations in one of the major forests near Moscow. The struggle culminated this summer in the “Khimki battle,” in which several hundred armed antifascists and anarchists attacked a government building in suburban Moscow; the authorities responded in kind, and subsequent solidarity efforts in Belarus provoked further repression.

Most of the links in this text lead to Russian-language pages; those too busy to teach themselves Russian can at least plug the website addresses into Google translate and struggle through computer-generated translations.

Prelude: A Spiking We Will Go

We learned of Moscow city authorities’ plans to destroy the Khimki forest in summer of 2008, when local environmentalists started an outreach campaign to drum up support for their cause. Even then it was already late, since the forest—one of the three major forests surrounding Moscow—had already been extensively logged and was pockmarked with tumors: cottages for the nouveau-riche, warehouses, parking lots, and malls.

So without a minute to lose, we grabbed some spikes and rushed in. The logging site was patrolled by guards, but their attention was distracted by the official “eco-camp” in front of their cabin so it was easy to sneak in and spike every tree we could get our nails into. This was our first experience of eco-action and it was exciting and inspiring: we didn’t get caught and we accomplished what we had come to do. We were sure that between our action, the constant pressure liberal ecologists were putting on the authorities, and the popular movement gaining momentum in the local suburbs, the tree-killers would retreat and leave the forest for good. Soon we learned better.

The trees were being felled to prepare the way for a massive new road plan authorized by the federal government. High-ranking officials—as high-ranking as Putin himself, we later learned—had a stake in lobbying for the new toll highway to be built right through the forest. The construction was financed by the international syndicate Vinci, headquartered in France, and several European banks working in partnership with the Russian national bank, Sberbank. With such powerful enemies arrayed against the forest and its defenders, the situation turned ugly.

Click here to read the full article…

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We will clear the forest of fascist occupation, 1941-2010

In Russia, the anti-fascists and the environmentalists work together. This warms my heart. Right now, however, they’re under attack. In fact, they’re essentially always under attack. And by under attack, I don’t just mean that they are being arrested and charged with bullshit crimes, although that happens too.

In Khimki, a suburb outside of Moscow, environmentalists set up an eco-camp to protect an old forest from being cleared by a new highway. Masked fascists stormed the camp and brutally attacked the people there. The police then showed up and arrested the activists, not their attackers. In response, a 500 strong block attacked city hall, with the banner “we will clear the forest of fascist occupation, 1941-2010”. The police have now arrested two of the more public anti-fascists and charged them with the attack. They were not arrested at the site of the attack, and yet now the courts have changed their story and claiming that they were.

The anti-fascists in Russia know better than to expect justice from the courts, but still, they are raising money to fight the charges.

The struggle against fascism and against the destruction of the natural earth is absolutely a global one. We need to realize that these people are our friends and comrades, and that an attack against them is an attack against us, quite literally.

Read more at Birds Before The Storm…

The Courage to Speak Truth to Power

The more we challenge the status quo, the more the entrenched powers resist and attack us. Fortunately, social justice is not a popularity contest.

Activism is healing, spiritual growth, self-defense, and it’s protecting our future.

I gave the following speech as the homily for the Capital Unitarian congregation. January 10, 2009, Victoria, BC

Thank you for the opportunity to launch my speaking career. Some of you may know me as a writer and an advocate for social and environmental justice. I’m also available for workshops, interviews, conferences, writing and editing, cat-sitting, domestic help, and other odd jobs. (Laughter) I knew when I started out in this line that I would never be a millionaire and I was right. But I have a certain freedom and flexibility that your average millionaire might envy.

The market demand for social justice advocates is huge right now. It’s a growth industry. And the job security is fantastic – there is no shortage of urgent issues demanding our attention. Experience is not necessary, people come to activism at every age and stage in their lives. It’s that easy!

Love letters and hate mail from the Wild Coast

I get love letters. I get death threats. Out here on Coast Salish territory — Vancouver Island, British Columbia — land barons and developers are rushing to carve up the last of the Wild West frontier. Cold cash and brute force have always worked to subdue the land and anyone in their way … until now. The bullies have met their match! It’s a fascinating time for environmental activists on Canada’s west coast.

Here’s a few highlights from the blog archives:

I’m No Action Hero

Great Bear Rainforest: The Clearcut Truth

Direct Action is the Antidote to Despair

Interview with the Earth Liberation Front

Killing Spotted Owls with Chainsaws

Derrick Jensen: This Abusive Civilization

Kwakiutl: We are Going to Start Fighting

First Nations Activist Dies After Release from Jail

Squat or Die

Enjoy!

Zoe Blunt is a contributor to Guerrilla News. Read more at her blog, Wild Coast…