Ukraine: Two Airports Seized By Anti-Coup Militias; Neo-Nazi Defense Minister Blames Russia Two airports were seized by armed anti-coup militias in the Crimean region of Ukraine on Friday. The militia members, identify themselves as self-defense squads. They were directed to patrol the airport by the new anti-coup Crimean government that was established on Thursday. Militia members said they were there to prevent fascists from flying in from Kiev. The self-defense squads have now partially withdrawn from the airport on their own accord and are patrolling outside the airport. The head Simferopol airport security service, Vladimir Perepelitsa, said of the self-defense squads: “We are constantly in touch with them. We are protecting passengers inside the airport, and they do the same outside. If everything goes as peacefully as it does now, then they will stay here for as long as it takes to provide security.” Ukraines Interior Minister of the coup government first claimed that what was taking place was an armed invasion by Russia. When that lie was exposed, Ukraines new Secretary of National Security and Defense, Andriy Parubiy, claimed that the self-defense squads are commanded by the Kremlin. The reality is that the self-defense squads were set up by Ukrainians out of fear of the new ultra-nationalist government in Kiev that contains neo-Nazis. Since the coup far right attacks on basic democratic rights and violations of the rights of national minorities have occurred. Andriy Parubiy was named Ukraines new Secretary of National Security and Defense by the new coup government on Wednesday. That decision was then subject to rubber stamp approval from Ukraines parliament, an undemocratic body in which elected politicians opposed to last weekends coup have fled in the face intimidation and violence. Andriy Parubiy is a co-founder of the neo-Nazi Social-National Party of Ukraine which later changed its name to Svoboda. Andriy Parubiy played a leadership role in the 2004 U.S. sponsored coup, often called the Orange Revolution, which brought Viktor Yuschenko to power. Yuschenko was never elected, despite western propaganda claiming that was a democratic revolution as well. In power, Viktor Yuschenko, posthumously awarded Stepan Bandera, a mass murderer of Jews and Poles who collaborated with Nazi Germany, the title of “National Hero of Ukraine”. When this award was soundly denounced by the European Parliament, as well as Russian, Polish and Jewish organizations, Andriy Parubiy publicly asked the European Parliament to reconsider its negative reaction. Stepan Bandera committed mass murder of Jews and Communists, and murdered between 40,000 and 60,000 Poles. Unarmed civilians, men, women, and children, were massacred in the most vicious manner by Banderas forces. Despite giving Banderas forces training and aid, the German Nazis later turned on him after he helped facilitate the Nazi invasion of Ukraine (as was the fate of many Nazi collaborators). After WW II, the counterrevolutionary mass murderer Bandera was aided by the CIA, but he was eventually defeated and assassinated by forces of the USSR. This is Andriy Parubiys hero. More recently, Andriy Parubiy gave military command to the riots that have overthrown the elected government of Ukraine. This, however, should not be seen as an amazing military victory. This was a coup detate. It was a coup d’etate in part because the elected president was overthrown by the force of small imperialist backed armed bands of rioters who had the threat of crippling economic sanctions from the United States and European Union backing them. This forced President Yanukovych to use less force than he needed to for the restoration of order. This also pushed various representatives within the capitalist state to back the coup. Those who did not, not only faced the threat of economic sanctions, which their capitalist backers would hate, they also faced direct violence and threats of violence from the Euromaiden movement itself. Far from being revolution that sprang from the masses of Ukraine, this was an imperialist engineered coup detate. Under President Yanukovychs government, regional language rights were given to national minorities, allowing official business to be conducted in Russian, Hungarian, and Romanian in regions where these national groups form a sizable portion of the population. The new ultra-nationalist coup government immediately abolished these language rights after coming to power. Poles were not among those who had gained these rights because Parubiys hero Bandera did such a thorough job slaughtering Poles, but important national rights have been lost for other minorities. Also under attack is a party that played a role in upholding the rights of national minorities, the Party of Regions. Since the overthrow of President Yanukovych last weekend, at least 200 headquarters of the Party of Regions have been destroyed and moves have been made to ban the party. This is the party of elected government. In addition, the Communist Party has been banned and their headquarters were destroyed by thugs who yelled, Hang the commies!. Other supposed undemocratic laws have also been repealed. Among these are those aimed at cutting off U.S. aid to the Euromaiden rioters. Another one of the supposedly anti-democratic laws of the Ukrainian government that was enacted against the Euromaiden rioters was for the preservation of monuments dedicated to the heroes of World War II. Now, after the U.S. / E.U. orchestrated coup detate, the rightist movement that has taken power, composed largely of neo-Nazis, are free to dismantle monuments to the Soviet heroes of World War II. And they have destroyed at least one major monument. Thirty million citizens of the USSR died under Nazi occupation and fighting to defeat Adolf Hitlers Nazi state. Under the Nazi occupation of Ukraine from 1941 to 1945, three million Ukrainians were murdered by the fascists, including 900,000 Jews. Stated Nazi plans for Ukraine were to murder an additional 12 million people in 10 years, enslave most of the rest of the Ukrainians, and open up Ukraine to German settlement. Thankfully, the USSR’s Red Army liberated Ukraine, Eastern Europe, and the world from the capitalist menace of German Nazi imperialism at that time. In addition to the destruction of a monument celebrating the heroes of WW II, the new government is destroying statues of Lenin. At least 27 of these monuments have been destroyed so far. Part of the irony of ultra-nationalists destroying statues of Lenin is the fact that it was the Russian Revolution, led by Lenin and Trotsky, that finally gave national rights, including language rights, to the Ukrainian people who had long been oppressed under the tsarist empire. At the destruction of these monuments to Lenin, white power flags and the flag of Nazi collaborator Stepan Bandera can be seen in photographs. The Euromaiden protests were led by three right wing capitalist parties acting in coalition, one of those three being the neo-Nazi Svoboda Party. Fascist flags were ubiquitous at demonstrations, anti-Semitic speeches were given on stage, and reliable reports have been given of copies of Adolf Hitlers Mein Kompf and the anti-Semitic Protocols of the Elders of Zion being mass distributed for free to protesters. In Kiev, since the Euromaiden riots began, at least five anti-Semitic attacks have occurred, three were violent attacks on Jews and two were attacks on Synagogues, including a fire bombing. Military units of neo-Nazi bands have vowed to rid the country of its Russian and Jewish menace. Kiev Rabbi Azman was reported in Haaretz last weekend saying, I told my congregation to leave the city center or the city all together and if possible the country too, I dont want to tempt fate, but there are constant warnings concerning intentions to attack Jewish institutions. Indeed, with Andriy Parubiy being given the Secretary of Security and Defense portfolio, and armed paramilitary fascist bands marching through the streets, there is little reason to think that government forces will protect the rights of national, religious, and political minorities from fascist paramilitary units. In fact, there is every reason to believe security forces may become a direct threat themselves. Leninist-Trotskyists side with the oppressed nationalities, unions, workers, Jews, and numerous political parties who oppose this coup and who have protested and formed militias against it. In addition, we see it is essential to form a Leninist-Trotskyist party that both adheres to Lenins program on the rights of nations and pushes forward the program of socialist revolution. Only a socialist revolution can secure the national sovereignty of Ukraine against U.S. and E. U. imperialism. A fundamental problem in Ukraine is the inability of bourgeois representatives to stand up to the threats of U.S. and E.U. imperialism. Under capitalism, it is the wealthy capitalists who have the power. Ukrainian capitalists can more easily be bullied by these big imperialist powers than the working class because the working class have so much more to lose from EU demands of IMF austerity, dissolving of Ukraines more protective Soviet era labor laws, increases in heating fuel prices in the midst of a cold winter (a measure demanded by the IMF that will kill poor people), an anti-democratic coup government with strong fascist tendencies, and the elimination of rights for national minorities. In addition, capitalism has brought drastic decreases in wages and 41% unemployment. Under a socialist planned economy everyone in Ukraine had a job. Socialism with workers democracy (i.e. minus repressive Stalinist rule) is the road forward for Ukraine. To achieve this will take reforging a Leninist-Trotskyist Party within the heartland of the Russian Revolution. Likewise, for many of us in the imperialist centers, the kind of imperialist intervention being carried out by Obama everywhere, including Ukraine, Syria, Venezuela, Libya, Honduras, and Cuba is unacceptable. Yet, this imperialist system of exploitation and violence never changes, no matter who is president and no matter how much we protest. That is because we are up against an entire system, not just a set of bad policies. The United States is imperialist because it is the wealthy who own the capitalist state and the capitalist economy. To gain maximum return on investment, they always fight for the subjugation and maximum exploitation of the world on their behalf. The only way to end U.S. imperialism is by liquidating the capitalist class and organizing a planned socialist economy in the United States, changes that we will only be able to achieve through proletarian revolution. To be prepared for the revolutionary opportunities of the future, the revolutionary party must be built today. -Steven Argue of the Revolutionary Tendency Also from this author, see: Imperialists Out of Ukraine! Stop Supporting Neo-Nazis! (In depth article) indybay.org/newsitems/2014/01/26/18749806.php If Ukraine Were The United States https://indybay.org/newsitems/2014/02/23/18751448.php Ukraine: U.S. Backed Rioters Burn Central Kiev, Kill 10 Policemen, a Total of 26 People Killed No To US EU Sanctions Against Ukraine (Also, in the comments section there is an appeal against the coup issued by the head of Progressive Socialist Party of Ukraine, Natalia Vitrenko, and 29 Ukrainian political organizations against the ongoing coup in Ukraine.) indybay.org/newsitems/2014/02/19/18751263.php Ukraine: Leaked Phone Call Confirms U.S. Role in Planning a Future Coup Government indybay.org/newsitems/2014/02/09/18750532.php
Posted on: Fri, 28 Feb 2014 18:18:00 +0000
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