ros Septomber, 1965 Contains articles from the international Trotskyist preas and statements and resolutions issued by the International Executive Committee and United Secretariat of the Fourth International. Volume 1, number’ 6
aTsn A TT ON
DEMON
AT
The new ruling group of the Soviet bureaucracy must face, as
did Krushchev, a radical opposition among the intellectuals
wero are bringing forward very advanced antibureaucratic demands,
the political trend of wnich is at bottemn quite olear. A
motabie denonstration wad ataged by this opposition last Marcn
on the anniversary of the death of Mayakovsky.
In 1951 and 1962, it will be recalled, thousanda of youth in Moscow gathered around the monument te the poet to listen to the recitation of poems branded aa "sub versive", that ia antiburesucratic. Some of the most representative figures involved in the gatherings Were arrested and the demenstrationa were benned by the political police,
18 year several Hundred youth gathered again. Tiest of then belonged te an unofficial (and sani-clandestine) group known as SMOG - Sanoe Molodes Obschestvo Geniev - a society of young engincera.
They began by reading poems dedicated to the memory of Mayakoveky, wno ion considered Sy all to have been an enemy of the bureaucrata who were the true cause of hia death, At a certain point one of the youths read a list of demands, addressed to the Jriters tnion, calling for the expulsion of certain members, those most conpromised with Stalinism, whe today head the most conservetive cireles in this organisation = in particular Kotchetov, Gribatchov and Sofronov, The demand was also made (and this was certainly the most interesting one) for the right to organise oe literary tendency of the left like the LE? of Meyekoveky in the twenties. “oe fs =
This wes given long applause, and it-wea decided toa present the demands to the locel of the Writers Union, ‘hen they went along the wide sidewalk of the Sedovoea Niltzso in the direction of the local, their ranks grew considerably. At the sene tine plainclothesamen of the political polices mixed with the crowd.
Hear the Writers Union they ran inte numerous squada of police, including & Esters] of the militie, a—-rere occurrence, When they stopped to reed the list of demands once moore bafore going into the local a number of plainclothesmen selzed the youth with the document and shoved him ints a police tar, A short senffle occurred in which two more were arrester,
It is hardly necessary to stresa the political significance of the demand for a tendency right. Tt de quite clear that the right to form
a literary tendency in a situation like the one now existing in the Soviet Union would inevitably be immediately transformed into a denand for the right to form a political tendency, This, together with the fact itself of the demonstration, which was net officially oreanised, explains the repression organised by the bureaverate - wie understand woll that such things can expand rapidly end bring into question their Privileges, their power, and even their exisatenca, They Followed Erusichey's way of reacting to such situations, Among other things, the courage of the groups of vanguard youth should be noted, They know well what the consequences of such actions Cen be. That is why, even in relation to 1961-62, the demends and the forms of struggle are nore advanced. before, action waa limited to the reading of poems - the criticism of the bureaucracy was contained in the Poems and was not made explicit in « document, Passive cpposition to tie bureaucracy, which ia widespread among the youth, often takes the form of a rejection of politics, Thia is what the Sureaucrats call “cynicism", and they are waging a fierce and desperate atruggele against this "synician", But @ome of the tiaang waed to combat this have proved dangerous - particularly in the case of discussions on cynicisn., During May, the club of the physics students of Moscow Univerogity organised a discussion on the subject of "Gynictom and thse Seviet Ideal". During the discussion a young painter of the Noveati Agency took the floor to declare that the seurce af cynicism.was primarily the politics of the Contral Committee of the Commmist Ferty of the Sovist Union with all ite sig-esees, carried out in tire dark without the least participation of the Soviet people. "And there is worse cynicism" he said, “thet of proteating agninst cutting a time limitation on the erimes o f the Fasia while thoae responaible for the Stalinist crimes are not only free but enjoying very nigh state. ponsions,"
The young peinter, warmly anpleuded by the audience, was soon arrested by the politicel police. Ee was later freed, it appears throug: the intervention of the central committes of the party. Ssut2 few days ieter in a canteen, a desen pecple surrounded him end engaged in a fight with Hin. When the militia arrived, they claimed thay had been provoked and displayed ea "proof" a long knife they cleizned.to have taken away from the peinter. He wea thus condemned, not for e.political orime, but for fighting end cerrying en illegal weepon. AS Houshehey hes seid - there are mo political prisoners TS MORLD Out oor)