Голодовка художников

As International Economic Forum looms poised to start on June 4th in St.Petersburg, Russia, lonely figures soak in the cold rain in the garden in front of the city administration palatial building, fully ignored by people in suits and black cars.

The lonely figures are artists, who have started a hunger strike on May 28th to protest an unlawful and violent dispersal of May 1st peaceful demonstration. The dispersal, which targeted a group of artists and free speech activists, fully preauthorized by the very same city authorities, left more than a hundred people unlawfully detained, some beaten and injured by riot police, with things like “crossing the street in a wrong place” being incriminated to most in a cover-up attempt. At the same time, a column of right-wing, fascist organizations was allowed to march along the Nevsky prospect that day.

Read the rest of this entry »

Сегодня, на восьмой день пленэра-голодовки у Смольного, около 15.00 одному из голодающих пришлось вызвать скорую. Человек жаловался на острую боль в желудке и тошноту, периодически у него поднималась температура.

Скорая приехала примерно через 10 минут после вызова, при этом охрана у главного входа в парк не разрешила машине проехать на территорию парка, и больного пришлось вести к карете под руку.

Read the rest of this entry »

Sergey Chernov / The St. Petersburg Times

One of the paintings created by the hunger-strikers is displayed on a stand by Smolny, home to City Hall.

Despite continued pressure from the authorities, an artists’ hunger strike against the police’s arbitrariness went into its fifth day on Monday. The protesters are demanding the investigation and punishment of those responsible for the May Day mass arrests, when some 300 anarchists, artists and musicians were seized or dispersed by the OMON, preventing them from taking part in an authorized demonstration in St. Petersburg.

Read the rest of this entry »