solidarity with the Bulgarian queer June 27

>
> Here is the statement of "AnarchoResistance", 3 days before the
> protests. I will try to translate also a brief article about what
> happened.
>
>
> ======================================================================
>                        About the upcoming protest
>
>
>
> This communique is a response to the rumors and statements circulating
> in the media and on the internet regarding the upcoming protest on
> January 14. We, the people gathered in the informal collective
> „AnarchoResistance“, decided to clearly express our attitude towards the
> upcoming protest even though writing declarations and using big words in
> not our prefered method of action. We do not pretend to represent anyone
> else but ourselves, and we are not purporting to speak on behalf of the
> entire anarchist movement in Bulgaria.
>
> First and foremost we want to clarify for those around us and for the
> media that we are NOT CO-ORGANIZERS or ORGANIZERS, and will not be
> supporting or attending this protest officially as a group. We do not
> want to get into a more serious debate with the organizers and
> co-organizers not because we don't have serious arguments and opinions
> SPECIFICALLY about this protest, but because we consider this to be
> inappropriate since we don't have a direct connection to the current
> organizers.
>
> We find it uncanny and detrimental that soccer fan groups and factions
> have suddenly become involved in the protests especially at a moment
> when the student movement was getting stronger and was clearly operating
> outside of the influence and manipulations of the state, the political
> parties and their leaders. We don't see the logic behind letting people
> with openly racist positions and neo-nazi affiliation to participate and
> frame the boundaries and tone of protests which have concrete goals and
> demands... unless of course certain political and economic circles are
> simply aiming to discredit the raising dissent. All of this is happening
> in an athmosphere of threats of „the ugliest scenes in Bulgaria“ and
> open attempts to instigate clashes between warrying soccer hooligan
> groups which threatens to sully the student protests and to give a
> formal excuse to the state and the medias for attacking and dismissing
> the goals of this protest. This is a way to channel the social tensions
> once again while discrediting the malcontent students, evironmentalists
> and ordinary citizens through the actions of a handful of soccer
> hooligans. As a result of these manipulations the demands of the
> students have already been completely obscured while the medias are
> awash with empty worlds and generalizations.
>
> This text is also a response to widely published lies and sick fantasies
> about some imaginary „support“ by Greek soccer hooligans, who
> purportedly were going to „return the favor to Bulgarians who supported
> last month's protests in Greece.“ This is a complete fabrication by the
> medias seeking cheap sensations and an attempt to discredit both the
> righteous rebellion in Greece and the participation of Bulgarian
> anarchists (not of soccer vandals) in it.
>
> We cannot stand behind a protest, which began as a youth and citizen
> movement, but is being represented consistently as „national“, wrapped
> in nationalist rethoric and symbols. The „national“ status of the
> protest implies a solidarity with all kinds of Bulgarian mafioso,
> ultra-right, and neoliberal groups and interests simply because it
> assigns belonging to a common, monolithic, undivided whole (unity) to
> each and every one of us. The „nation“ is a fiction that serves to
> frame, manage and manipulate various social groups and issues. It is
> populism and demagoguery. We recognize clearly in it the essence of that
> which we are fighting against.
>
> Various materials and video clips are circulating on the internet
> inviting people to participate in this protest. These materials are
> charged with clear political insinuations and are already damaging not
> only the outcome of this particular protest but the future of a movement
> of dissent in the long term. We are concerned that these protests will
> become nothing more that sanctioned parades. They are not challenging
> the state better, they not becoming more creative or more effective for
> that matter, they are turning into a shapeless crowd of people holding
> sings. People are already sick and tired of this kind of protest, and we
> all must seek more effective and more moving ways to express oursevles
> and achieve that which we are striving for. „The insertion“ of very
> different and real demands by various protesting groups into the common
> populist protest frame, of which we are all so tired, will turn this
> protest into a grotesque.
>
> In addition, the lack of coordination among all those concerned and
> expected to participate is creating a space for „leaders“ and an
> „avant-garde“ to step-up who are visibly enjoying the media attention
> and the courtship of various political parties without having a
> legitimate or moral right to represent all protesters. A protest framed
> in these terms serves directly and indirectly political parties such as
> GERB and ATAKA – right-wing populist formations which interestingly
> enough are not being recognized as part of the ruling gang.
>
> We support political demands and believe that we should not avoid
> „politicizing“ the protests when they have clear goals and transparent
> organizational methods. Those in power should be brought to their knees
> but that necessitates a political culture and clear consensus among
> protesters.
>
> We stand behind the environmental groups and the students in their anger
> against the continuing commercialization of the natural environment and
> of education. We support them in their outrage at the violence that is
> part of these anti-social processes of privatization. But we do not
> support protests with openly nationalist tendencies. We do not support a
> protest that will only serve the authorities and the state, a protest
> that will serve to channel the student dissent around a specific event
> and with concrete demands but will stop directly and indirectly future
> student protests, it will prevent the creation of an independent student
> activist network, it will stop the building of real, automonous citizen
> structures that could apply a constant pressure against the authorities
> and could seek change not only of the status quo but of the entire
> current system – the lies called „representative democracy“, „free
> market“, „market economy“ and „capitalism“.
>
> January 11, 2009
> automonous anti-authoriatiran group „Anarcho-Resistance“
> http://www.aresistance.net