Dear Maria and Nadezhda,
as initiators of the protest against your imprisonment, we decided to write an open letter to you. Our protest took place in front of the Russian Embassy in Prague at our annual DIY Carnival last year. The event was attended by approximately three thousand people and has, therefore, become the largest solidarity event in the Czech Republic so far. Our action had no official support be it from Czech mainstream media, the state or non-government organizations.
We understand there are differences between the Russian and Czech situation. Maybe that is why some of your Czech supporters happen to represent precisely what you fight against in Putin’s Russia.
We wanted to support you and also draw attention to tendencies that were rightfully the target of your criticism - the connection of church and state. Even though the situation in the Czech Republic can hardly be compared to the one in Russia under Putin’s leadership, the involvement of our elites with the interests of Catholic church’s conservative representatives is obvious.
We understand there are differences between the Russian and Czech situation. Maybe that is why some of your Czech supporters happen to represent precisely what you fight against in Putin’s Russia. In the interview for the Czech Television you have mentioned Karel Schwarzenberg, our former minister of foreign affairs. As a representative of aristocracy and a member of our former government, he (and not only he) is personally responsible for very controversial restitution of property to Catholic Church and anti-social right-wing reforms to privatize public sector. These measures go against modern tendencies of our society and will bring more power and wealth to conservative circles in the future. Karel Schwarzenberg also represents a very selective understanding of human rights supporting only those oppressed groups and individuals that serve the interests of transatlantic coalition while overlooking others. We fully respect your right to choose your partners in your fight against Putin’s authoritarian regime and we understand that your position is not always simple. However, we feel we must explain the context of your remarks.
In the past, we have witnessed many former opponents of the Communist regime undermining their moral authority by purpose-built alliance with the Western power elites. This was the case of Václav Havel. We would not want the same to happen to you too. Like you, we come from anarchist circles and thus very well understand the risks of power and stardom.
Respectfully,
the DIY Carnival team
P.S.: Like Pussy Riot, we don’t give our names as we also prefer collective action of anonymous individuals.
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