On February 24, at the initiative of the Post-Soviet Left organization, a discussion entitled “A Nasty Peace or a War until Victory?” was held in Paris.
More than 20 anti-war activists from Russia, Ukraine, Sweden and France gathered in the hall of the International Center of Popular Cultures.
“I would very much like us not only to assess the ongoing events, but also to formulate some proposals on the tactics of the left in the new conditions based on the results of the discussion,”
the moderator said in his opening remarks, calling for respect for each other’s opinions.
Indeed, the speakers’ views on the situation sometimes diverged greatly. Some assessed the ongoing war as imperialist on both sides (Russia and NATO), the only way out of which could be a revolutionary overthrow of the bourgeois governments in all the warring countries.
Others argued that the Ukrainian people’s struggle against Russian aggression is a national liberation struggle and that it is the duty of the left to support this struggle in every possible way, putting pressure on Western governments to increase civilian and military aid.
One of the PSL supporters called for more attention to be paid to the reasons why the majority of the Russian population either supports or at least passively accepts what is happening. In his view, the main reason is the lack of a clearly formulated positive alternative to war. And the left bears a large share of responsibility for this.
But how can this future program be brought to the people?
The event even recalled the experience of publishing illegal newspapers and distributing leaflets. And yet, the most important thing for the left is not the form, but the content. Specific slogans and demands.
„What should be the tactics of the left in Europe in relation to the „obscene“ imperialist world imposed on Ukraine?“,
asked PSL member A. Demidov.
In his opinion, one should not under any circumstances give in to the militaristic frenzy that not only those in power but also the majority of the liberal anti-war opposition are falling into.
It is necessary to counteract any attempts to increase military budgets by cutting social programs, salaries and benefits. If they want to increase them, let them introduce a tax on millionaires or nationalize weapons factories. Everyone agreed with this.
In the event of a cessation of hostilities, it is necessary to focus on programs to restore the standard of living of the population in Ukraine: jobs, social sphere, housing, infrastructure, ecology…
Thirdly, it is the left forces that will have to take on the protection of millions of Ukrainian refugees, whom, in the event of a ceasefire, right-wing politicians will immediately try to push back into the ruined country. The PSL platform „Migrant collective“ may come in handy here.
Among the specific peacekeeping initiatives in which PSL members and supporters are actively involved, the preparation of the “Peace Manifesto” was mentioned – an appeal by Russian and Ukrainian civil and political activists to the organizers of future negotiations with demands for a general political amnesty and the abolition of the repressive “wartime legislation” by both sides of the military confrontation.
All those interested are invited to take part in clarifying the demands and disseminating the appeal.
