(en) Ukraine, Statement of left and anarchist organizations about ?Borotba? organization (de, fr, pt)

We, the collectives and members of Ukrainian leftist and anarchist organizations, announce 
that ?Borotba? union is not a part of our movement. During the whole time of this 
political project?s existence, its members tended to be committed to the most discredited, 
conservative and authoritarian ?leftist? regimes and ideologies, which do not represent 
the interests of working classes in any way. ---- ?Borotba? has proved itself an 
organization with a non-transparent funding mechanism and unscrupulous principles of 
cooperation. It uses hired workers, who are not even the members of the organization. The 
local cells of ?Borotba? took part in the protest actions together with PSPU (Progressive 
Socialist Party of Ukraine, which is an anti-Semitic, racist, and clerical party, and has 
no relation to the world socialist movement) and with Kharkiv pro-government, anti-Semitic 
and homophobic group ?Oplot?; and are known for their linkage with an infamous journalist 
O.Chalenko, who openly stands for Russian chauvinism.

Recent events demonstrate that the leadership of this union, following
the example of the ?Communist? Party of Ukraine, have been overtly
defending the interests of president Yanukovych, justifying the use of
weapons by security forces and denying the acts of unjustified violence
and cruelty on their part, the use of tortures and other forms of
political terror. The representatives of ?Borotba? take an extremely
biased stance concerning the composition of protest movement, which is
represented both on their own web resources and in the media
commentaries. According to them, the Maidan protests are supported
exclusively by nationalists and radical right, and were aimed only at a
coup d?etat (?fascist putsch?).
We stand on antifascist positions, and our activists have often been
victims of radical rightists? attacks. We do not support some of the
Maidan?s ideas, and are against the bourgeois opposition. We also
condemn conservative, nationalist, and radical right sentiments, which
are tolerated in the protesters? circles nowadays. However, we emphasize
that labeling all active citizens as ?fascists? is not only false, but
also dangerous. This one-sidedness is fueling chauvinist hysteria and
divides society, which is only favourable for the ruling class.
On January 24th, the region council deputy and ?Borotba? representative
Oleksiy Albu participated in the protection of Odesa region
administration building against ?Nazis?, accompanied by Russian
Cossacks and nationalists (?Slavic Unity?) and the members of ruling
Party of Regions and Communist Party. In his later interview, he
admitted his cooperation with the Security Service of Ukraine.
On March 1st, ?Borotba? activists together with pro-Putin organizations
took part in the assault on Kharkiv region state administration, which
resulted in raising of a Russian flag and severe beating of many Kharkiv
Maidan activists, including a leftist poet Serhiy Zhadan. The members of
?Borotba? call all of this ?an antifascist action? and claim that these
violent actions were aimed against radical rightists.
Therefore, we conclude that the leadership of ?Borotba? union not only
support the authoritarian Soviet past, but also consciously manipulate
public opinion, and are acting as ?pocket revolutionaries? of the ruling
elites. Their activity at the moment does not have anything in common
with leftist politics and class struggle, and is aimed at the support of
pro-Putinist forces behind the mask of ?antifascism? and ?communism?.
Thus, the actions of this organization are discrediting both its name
(which is derived from revolutionaries-?borotbists? of the beginning of
the XXth century) and all the modern Ukrainian left in general.
Moreover, ?Borotba? does not disdain overt lies and fact manipulations,
deceiving foreign leftists and antifascists.
We urge all the conscious revolutionaries, who are still the members of
?Borotba?, to leave this treacherous, pro-bourgeois union and to cease
all the political relations with its leadership. We also hope that
European and Russian left will reconsider their attitude to ?Borotba.?
The organization of this kind should be isolated.
No gods, no masters, no nations, no borders!
Workers of all countries ? unite!
Autonomous Workers Union
Independent Student Union ?Direct Action ?
(The statement is open for further signatories, organizations as well as
individuals)

This is also available in French, German and Polish here:
http://avtonomia.net/2014/03/03/statement-left-anarchist-organizations-borotba-organization/.