fantastic negative result

Oleg Smirnov

2017-05-14 17:31:53 UTC

<http://tinyurl.com/llsedn7> rferl.org

.. Vorotnikov left Russia in 2011 .. But while Vorotnikov is seeking asylum
in Europe, the rebel street artist has had what might seem like an unlikely
change of heart: He says he is now a supporter of President Vladimir Putin as
Russia's national leader and approves of Russia's seizure of Crimea from
Ukraine in 2014.

In an interview with RFE/RL's Current Time TV on September 22, Vorotnikov said
his views changed during the spate of anti-Kremlin protests that broke out in
big cities in late 2011 and early 2012 as Putin, then prime minister,
campaigned for a return to the Kremlin.

"In 2012, I revised some of my positions after what I saw as a fairly inept
attempt by the liberal intelligentsia to enter politics from the street,"
Vorotnikov said. "I realized these people should not be allowed anywhere
near politics."

He praised the Russian authorities for "tenderly and gently" destroying the
protest movement and described Vyacheslav Volodin, the influential deputy
chief staff whom Putin tapped on September 23 to become speaker of the State
Duma, as "extremely intelligent."

Vorotnikov added that he and his partner, Sokol, would like to leave Europe
and move back to Russia but are wanted by the authorities there ..

<http://tinyurl.com/kgu8wps> aktualne.cz

Members of the group Ztohoven turned away from the Russian artist Oleg
Vorotnikov after he told Aktuálne.cz that he supports the President Vladimir
Putin regime .. Their assistance was based on the fact that Vorotnikov in the
past engaged against the Russian regime and restrictions on freedom. But in an
interview with Aktuálne.cz Vorotnikov expressed differently. He argues that
Putin and United Russia saved the nation and said that Russia wants to return
again. ..

...

As it's clear from the Kommersant interview (the link below) he discovered
that his shitty arts may be interesting to someone in Europe only if it could
be used in a propaganda against Russia. He decided that to become such a
prostitute would be too low for him (although the 'pussy-riot' sluts went the
prostitute way, and now the shoddy British 'Guardian' rag regularly reminds
about their existence). After this he found nobody in Europe no longer gives
a shit about their 'arts', but the police tend to beat them at any occasion.

Such a cautionary story for the budding 'Russian dissidents'.

Post by Oleg Smirnov
2013-05-13 <http://archive.li/VbFlF>

<http://www.bbc.co.uk/russian/uk/2013/05/130512_voina_tower_bridge.shtml>
"On Sunday 12 May the Russian art group "Voina" ("The War") tried to hang a
banner with the Tower Bridge with the image of their leader Oleg Vorotnikov
behind bars and the words 'Voina wanted'.

Mr. Vorotnikov had spent a few years in Europe. He is still wanted in Russia
for criminal prosecution. Russian liberal opposition outlet interviewed him
via Skype, and he told what he managed to learn from his European experience.
<http://kommersant.ru/doc/3292661>
Vorotnikov says he feels like a POW in Europe. While his life in Russia was
full of highlights, here in Europe he cannot do anything. Initially, his
'art group' <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voina> was invited to participate
in some 'contemporary art' events in West Europe, but it turned out that in
fact Europe allows much less freedom of expression and space for arts than
Russia.
He says he has experienced a revolution in his mind while living here: he
discovered the fact that in the modern 'western' society there is very
strict distribution of roles, where artists are in quite a miserable
position.
He considers Europe a genuine fascist place, - although the classic fascism
is impossible today, but the prevailing neoliberal 'western' ideology is
rather a modification of the fascism developed after the WW2.
He said their 'art group' were greatly impressed by the way the Czech police
were beating them in a police station. They were beating woman in the face
in front of her child, which would hardly be possible in Russia. As
Vorotnikov explained, the Czech authorities would welcome them as 'classic'
Soviet-style 'dissidents', but soon the Czechs realized 'Voina' is something
different, and the police applied violence to them in order to force them to
leave Czechia and don't create problems for the domestic authorities.
He says it's a common thing for Europe: the Europeans have a standard
pattern of what 'Russian dissidents' must look like, and if a person behaves
if they see that you go beyond the prescribed frame, then they would stop
you in a pretty painful way.
In Switzerland, 'Voina' had a similar conflict with the local human rights
defenders and police. The latter were coercing them to go to camp for
refugees and ask for political asylum. 'Voina' refused to follow this way,
the result was they had been subjected to intimidation. In the end, 20 men
in masks and with truncheons, with tear gas, broke into their dwelling and
began to beat them. Their children were pulled out of the tub and put
straight to the street (and it happened in March, almost in winter).
Vorotnikov says, they repeatedly experienced such things in Europe that
would be unthinkable in Russia, and he would never believe that it's
possible, if he not experienced it himself.
"Imagine that you will be tied up with an adhesive tape, filled with tear
gas and will be beaten. Then comes the police, and under the grin of those
human rights defenders who beat you, they confiscate your videos. And that's
all."
Mr. Vorotnikov says, in addition to physical violence, the Europeans
destroyed their information channels: the promoted Facebook account, few web
sites, many documents and videos were destroyed.
...