Socialist Alternative (Russia)

Socialist Alternative (Russian: Социалистическая Альтернатива, Socialisticheskaya Alternative) is a Trotskyist political party in Russia. It is affiliated to the Committee for a Workers' International. The organisation publishes a newspaper of the same name.

History

From the early 1990s to 2009, a single CWI section called Socialist Resistance (Социалистическое Сопротивление, Sotsialisticheskoye Soprotivleniye), existed in the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States. In 2005 a group of members left to form VPERED. In 2009 a further split occurred due to differing positions on the recent Russo-Georgian War, with about half the Russian membership supporting Russian military intervention in South Ossetia and therefore leaving the CWI in disagreement.^[1] Those who left continued to use the Socialist Resistance name in Russia, while the CWI members in the CIS reorganised into the new Russian section, simply known as Russian Section of the CWI, and Socialist Resistance of Kazakhstan. In 2015, a faction within the organisation split off to form a new group called Marxistskaya Gruppa 21. The Russian CWI section renamed itself Sotsialisticheskaya Alternativa early in 2016.

LGBT rights campaigning

CWI members have been at the forefront of LGBT rights camapigns in Russia. In 2002, member and gay rights activist Sergei Kozlovskii was sued by Tamara Dadianova for the huge sum of 50,000 rubles in a court in Yaroslavl, after he had spoken of how she and her friends had verbally abused him over his sexuality and tried to force him out of a poetry venue.^[2][3]

Members have also participated in Moscow pride activities, arguing for radical campaigning to fight for LGBT rights. They organised a picket outside the Mayor of Moscow's office after the 2006 pride march was banned.^[4] They also attempted to take part in the 2007 event which was similarly banned, which was widely reported after the arrest of British activist Peter Tatchell and German parliamentarian Volker Beck.^[5]

References

1. ↑ Russia/Georgia War, capitalist crisis and the workers’ movement…, www.socialistworld.net, 27 November 2009.
2. ↑ Show trial in Yaroslavi, www.socialistworld.net, 28 September 2002.
3. ↑ Socialist and gay rights activist faces political repression and huge legal fine, www.socialistworld.net, 24 September 2002.
4. ↑ Police and fascists attack Moscow Pride, www.socialistworld.net, 1 July 2006.
5. ↑ Repression of Gay Pride in Moscow, www.socialistworld.net, 2 June 2007.

External links

• Russian section of the CWI
• Committee for a Workers' International