In the shadows of Antifascism the erosion of Solidarity and Trust

The story of how personal conflict affects a common cause

A crucial statement concerning cooperation with a prominent Russian-language antifascist channel X (the name is omitted to avoid an additional conflict), whose administrator is engaged in spreading rumors. The publication of the podcast "Public Incitement" was initially planned in this antifa channel, it failed to materialize due to the objections of its leader, essentially functioning as the Chief Editor. The podcast’s author, Dmitry Okrest, explains what had transpired:

In October, the Chief Editor (unnamed for safety reasons) disseminated rumors, false accusations, and personal information about me in an emigrant chat - this occurred before discussions about collaboration, including within the framework of this podcast.

This statement aims to address public accusations made by this person. Initially, I proposed arbitration/mediation with hopes of resolving our situation. Despite numerous reminders, he displayed no interest, provided no evidence for baseless accusations, and persistently spread gossip. Therefore, there is no other option but to make the situation public, given that he intentionally spread rumors and set up people before.

DISREGARD FOR A COMRADE'S DEATH 

I requested the publication of a call for memories of the Russian anarchist Dmitry "Ecologist" Petrov on the channel in question. The Chief Editor refused, responding to an acquaintance: "I knew the Ecologist very well, and he had a very indirect connection to antifa." They conveyed that this lie would be communicated to acquaintances in other media. 

Four days after the information about Dmitry's death was made public, Channel X posted a message from Ukrainian comrades about the death of the "Ecologist." The Channel X team feared criticism for revealing information that only the administrator decides who is an antifascist. In the emigrant chat, the Chief Editor claimed that they initially posted a message with a link to the Ukrainians and only then refused the post about memories. This is a lie, judging by the date of messages in Channel X and the date of the forwarded message from the Chief Editor stating that Petrov is not an antifascist. The Chief Editor did not provide evidence to the contrary, despite offering to do so multiple times. 

ATTEMPTED APPROPRIATION OF ANOTHER'S IDEA 

The Chief Editor claimed that I "engage in appropriation on the grounds of antifascism." The basis for such statements is unknown. Yes, I authored a book about the antifascist Alexey "Socrates" Sutuga, this podcast, and engaged in several memorial projects for other deceased individuals. The Chief Editor provided no evidence of my "appropriation."

Simultaneously, similar accusations can be made against the Chief Editor– and not without reason. Initially, this podcast was supposed to be released on the platform of antifa Channel X. For the Chief Editor, the podcast represented the realization of his paid academic internship. When he couldn't decide on the podcast content himself, he lost interest. There was another reason, but I won't disclose it for safety reasons.

Now, the Chief Editor claims that he refused cooperation because of "claims of a political nature." Other members of his channel's collective, to whom I turned for help in resolving the situation, stated that the Chief Editor has personal grievances and is blocking mentions of "Public Incitement" and Socrates' memorial book.

MISREPRESENTATION OF CONCEPTS

In an emigrant chat, the Chief Editor claims that supposedly he discussed with me an interview for a podcast with the nationalism researcher Andreas Umland and warned that he "engages in whitewashing." Based on the conversation with the scientist, the Chief Editor concluded my "political unreliability." He talks about the researcher's incompetence-–yes, Umland is not an antifascist, unlike nine other podcast heroes, but he has good expertise in the history of far-right movements.

Correspondence shows that we last discussed the podcast a month before the interview and did not touch on Umland's personality. The Chief Editor did not provide evidence of the discussion he mentioned.

UNWILLINGNESS TO ADMIT WRONGDOING

The Chief Editor (formerly an employee of the biggest Russian IT company Yandex and Russian propagandist Channel One, a preacher of anarcho-primitivism, new age, and North Korean Juche) speaks of my "political unreliability." In conditions of repression and emigration, he behaves like someone who displaces competitors.

Now, the public conflict initiated by the Chief Editor, he calls in private correspondence a "situation that resulted from a series of coincidences and misunderstandings caused by the peculiarities of communication on the Internet." On the one hand, he writes pompously about the "common enemy we must fight against." On the other hand, the Chief Editor at the same time writes about threats coming from me (without evidence) and shares all the compromising information collected on me in correspondence with acquaintances.

REJECTION OF MEDIATION

Following the dissemination of rumors in the emigrant chat, the Chief Editor was offered several times to conduct arbitration or moderation, with two political prisoners and ten media and initiative people expressing readiness to participate. Since October, the Chief Editor has consistently opted to ignore these offers. He declined participation in the moderation chat, choosing to communicate with mediators solely through a member of his channel. He rejected proposed mediators and continuously deferred the proposed conversation.

When two moderators referred to him as a windbag, the Chief Editor promptly suggested a face-to-face meeting with me a couple of days later without witnesses. The moderation group deemed this idea unfavorable. During the live conversation, the Chief Editor proposed abandoning moderation and providing evidence for his claims.

Upon further suggestion from the moderation group that the Chief Editor substantiate his claims with evidence or take responsibility for his words and offer an apology, he responded by stating that he needed to purchase groceries before the New Year holidays and complete a report in the academic group. Despite the numerous deadlines provided to him, he is obligated to respond publicly, as endorsed by the mediators.

I want to caution against collaborating with this person and his project due to the risks involved. The Chief Editor positioned himself by asserting that the publication of his name, pseudonym, and channel name constitutes a data leak. Therefore, it is impossible to fully publish his messages or channel posts to illustrate the groundlessness of the rumors he disseminates.

If he persists in spreading slander, as observed during previous moderation attempts, additional information can be provided. Other people with whom he sought collaboration, both in media and activism, also attest to his inconsistent behavior—further details available by telegram @publicincitement_podcast.

2024 January 7

The original post is in Russian