Russian folk-punk outfit have released a new track to mark the 65th birthday of political prisoner Boris Kagarlitsky. The title and lyrics for the song are taken from one of Kagarlitsky鈥檚 last articles before his arrest, 鈥溾.
The well-known Marxist sociologist, who publicly opposed Russia鈥檚 current war on Ukraine, spent his birthday on August 29 in a pre-trial detention centre, where he has been since being detained on July 25. Kagarlitsky is facing the possibility of up to seven years鈥 jail if found guilty of the trumped-up charge of 鈥渏ustifying terrorism鈥.
His arrest has been viewed by many as an escalation of Russian President Vladimir Putin鈥檚 domestic war on leftist anti-war dissent.
Arkadiy Kots Band鈥檚 decision to use Kagarlitsky鈥檚 article as a means to promote solidarity with his case are self-evident. In his open letter to Western progressives, Kagarlitsky writes: 鈥淲e only need one thing 鈥 stop helping Putin with your conciliatory and ambiguous statements.
鈥淭he more often such statements are made, the greater will be the confidence of officials, deputies and policemen that the current order can continue to exist with the silent support or hypocritical grumbling of the West.
鈥淓very conciliatory statement made by liberal intellectuals in America results in more arrests, fines, and searches of democratic activists and just plain people here in Russia.鈥
Speaking to 91自拍论坛 about the song, band member Kirill Medvedev, who is also an activist with the Russian Socialist Movement,聽said: 鈥淲e are participating in the campaign in support of Kagarlitsky not only because he is a person who has fundamentally influenced us as a rare left-wing intellectual in post-Soviet Russia ...聽who was sent to prison for his socialist beliefs in the late Soviet Union era, under [Boris] Yeltsin and under Putin.
鈥淭he campaign in his support is an opportunity to unite both Russian and many international leftists on a renewed platform: democratic, anti-capitalist, anti-war. And it is an opportunity to show those progressives who have a positive or neutral view of Putin's regime that it is time to reconsider their views.
On the importance of solidarity with Kagarlitsky, Medvedev added: 鈥淚f we do not support Boris today, tomorrow we will face a complete purge of the remnants of the independent left and trade union movement under the pretext of 鈥榙efending our state traditions against the West鈥.鈥
In response to Kagarlitsky鈥檚 arrest, the Russian-based Kagarlitsky Solidarity Committee launched an demanding his release. The committee is also calling for an international day of action in solidarity with Kagarlitsky, to be held outside Russian consulates and embassies on September 16.
[The song can be downloaded at or viewed on .]