[spectre] Russian feminists against the war (fwd)

[Andreas Broeckmann]

Am 06.03.22 um 19:20 schrieb agee:
> Re feminist response: fyi
> https://jacobinmag.com/2022/02/russian-feminist-antiwar-resistance-ukraine-putin 
> 
> AGF: @poemproducer 🔎 rec-on.org

Dear Antye, folks, I post this important text (thank you for pointing it 
out!) to the Spectre list so that more people will perhaps read it:


(manifesto by Russian feminists)

On February 24, at around 5:30 AM Moscow time, Russian president 
Vladimir Putin announced a “special operation” on the territory of 
Ukraine in order to “denazify” and “demilitarize” this sovereign state. 
This operation had long been in preparation. For several months, Russian 
troops were moving up to the border with Ukraine. At the same time, the 
leadership of our country denied any possibility of a military attack. 
Now we see that this was a lie.

Russia has declared war on its neighbor. It did not allow Ukraine the 
right to self-determination nor any hope of a peaceful life. We declare 
— and not for the first time — that war has been waged for the last 
eight years at the initiative of the Russian government. The war in 
Donbas is a consequence of the illegal annexation of Crimea. We believe 
that Russia and its president are not and have never been concerned 
about the fate of people in Luhansk and Donetsk, and the recognition of 
the republics after eight years was only a pretext for the invasion of 
Ukraine under the guise of liberation.

As Russian citizens and feminists, we condemn this war. Feminism as a 
political force cannot be on the side of a war of aggression and 
military occupation. The feminist movement in Russia struggles for 
vulnerable groups and the development of a just society with equal 
opportunities and prospects, in which there can be no place for violence 
and military conflicts.

War means violence, poverty, forced displacement, broken lives, 
insecurity, and the lack of a future. It is irreconcilable with the 
essential values and goals of the feminist movement. War exacerbates 
gender inequality and sets back gains for human rights by many years. 
War brings with it not only the violence of bombs and bullets but also 
sexual violence: as history shows, during war, the risk of being raped 
increases several times for any woman. For these and many other reasons, 
Russian feminists and those who share feminist values ​​need to take a 
strong stand against this war unleashed by the leadership of our country.

The current war, as Putin’s addresses show, is also fought under the 
banner of the “traditional values” declared by government ideologues — 
values that Russia allegedly decided to promote throughout the world as 
a missionary, using violence against those who refuse to accept them or 
hold other views. Anyone who is capable of critical thinking understands 
well that these “traditional values” include gender inequality, 
exploitation of women, and state repression against those whose way of 
life, self-identification, and actions do not conform with narrow 
patriarchal norms. The justification of the occupation of a neighboring 
state by the desire to promote such distorted norms and pursue a 
demagogic “liberation” is another reason why feminists throughout Russia 
must oppose this war with all their energy.

Today feminists are one of the few active political forces in Russia. 
For a long time, Russian authorities did not perceive us as a dangerous 
political movement, and therefore we were temporarily less affected by 
state repression than other political groups. Currently more than 
forty-five different feminist organizations are operating throughout the 
country, from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok, from Rostov-on-Don to Ulan-Ude 
and Murmansk. We call on Russian feminist groups and individual 
feminists to join the Feminist Anti-War Resistance and unite forces to 
actively oppose the war and the government that started it. We also call 
on feminists all over the world to join our resistance. We are many, and 
together we can do a lot: Over the past ten years, the feminist movement 
has gained enormous media and cultural power. It is time to turn it into 
political power. We are the opposition to war, patriarchy, 
authoritarianism, and militarism. We are the future that will prevail.

We call on feminists around the world:

- Join peaceful demonstrations and launch offline and online campaigns 
against the war in Ukraine and Putin’s dictatorship, organizing your own 
actions. Feel free to use the symbol of the Feminist Anti-War Resistance 
movement in your materials and publications, as well as hashtags 
#FeministAntiWarResistance and #FeministsAgainstWar.

- Distribute the information about the war in Ukraine and Putin’s 
aggression. We need the whole world to support Ukraine at this moment 
and to refuse to help Putin’s regime in any way.

- Share this manifesto with others. It’s necessary to show that 
feminists are against this war — and any type of war. It’s also 
essential to demonstrate that there are still Russian activists who are 
ready to unite in opposition to Putin’s regime. We are all in danger of 
persecution by the state now and need your support.

https://jacobinmag.com/2022/02/russian-feminist-antiwar-resistance-ukraine-putin