07-03-2022: The Australian government is out of control, and its actions are fanning the flames of World War III. The Australian Labor Party (ALP) federal government has now imposed more than 1000 sanctions on Russia, in support of NATO’s proxy war via Ukraine. On February 24, the Australian government announced further sanctions and travel bans on 90 persons and 40 entities in Russia. These include arms manufacturer Kalashnikov Concern, shipbuilder Admiralty Shipyards and aviation company Tupolev.[1] In a joint press release with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Defence Minister Richard Marles, Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced it will supply Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS, i.e., drones) to Ukraine, although she did not offer any numbers.[2] The government has also sent 70 troops to the United Kingdom (UK) to train Ukrainian soldiers. Incredibly, the ALP has now funnelled around $700 million of taxpayers’ money to Ukraine.[3]

Funding for war, increasing poverty at home

Make no mistake, the money being sent to Ukraine is ending up in the hands of Nazi regiments such as the Azov and Aidar Battalions. Meanwhile, poverty and homelessness within Australia is increasing, with mortgages being deliberately increased by repeated interest rate rises, and rental properties being out of reach of thousands who desperately need accommodation. Inflation is driving up the cost of living, with basic groceries being hit the hardest. Yet the priority for the tiny handful of politicians representing an insignificant number of billionaires is arming Nazis to fight Russia on behalf of NATO. This intolerable situation is being resisted by thousands rallying in the US and Europe, and leading the political struggle in Australia against this outrageous war is the Aussie Cossack, a.k.a., Simeon Boikov. His Youtube channel has 162 000 subscribers,[4] most of whom are based within Australia. For his activism, he has been declared a national security interest by the government, and he is currently holed up in the Russian Consulate in Sydney. If he walks outside, he is likely to be arrested on the trumped up charge of “assault” – which was a clear case of self-defence.

The Aussie Cossack is also one of the leading figures of the freedom movement, i.e., the movement which resisted the draconian “Covid” lockdowns and vaccine mandates, which has not a shred of scientific legitimacy. Covid repression was imposed only against the working class, the crystallisation of which was the threat of having your employment terminated if you did not submit to taking a series of injections with an untested substance. The sheer number of vaccine injuries and deaths as a result of the mRNA shots since that time has reaffirmed the freedom movement as being on the right side of history. Using his undoubted skills as a speaker, leader, journalist and larrikin the Aussie Cossack constantly challenged the police who were blatantly ignoring basic rights such as freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and freedom of movement. Of course, he also threw down the gauntlet to the politicians who were fronting the assault of finance capital under the spurious guise of “health”.

Political suppression

The huge following for the Aussie Cossack meant that his challenge to the politicians over nightmarish Covid repression could not be ignored by the ruling class. He was subsequently jailed just before the last federal election in May 2022, on the bogus charge of “breaching a suppression order”, by allegedly naming a pedophile at a rally. In reality, he was jailed for six months for his political activism[5] and the possibility that he could muster more political support for the freedom movement – some of whom ran for office in the federal election. Now, after seeking refuge in the Russian Consulate in Sydney, the Aussie Cossack has been convicted “in absentia” for the manufactured charge of “assault” – just days before the nominations close for candidates to run in the New South Wales state election. In his rhetorical style, he rightly asked why ASIO (Australian Security Intelligence Organisation – the federal political police) are not monitoring political parties who have harmed people with the Covid vaccine.[6]

Not content with targeting the Aussie Cossack himself, the NSW police have also harassed his wife.[7] The act of convicting him “in absentia”, without giving him a chance to attend court, was a grievous breach of basic legal procedure. He now faces five years (!) jail for “assault” if he steps outside the Russian Consulate. The government is clearly being exposed by the popular agitation of what in some quarters is a merging of the freedom movement with those who oppose the catastrophic path of following NATO into a devastating war against the nuclear armed Russian Federation. The Aussie Cossack had modestly declined to compare himself to the situation of Julian Assange, when he was restricted to the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. He recognises that Julian Assange is an Australian whistleblowing hero, whose deeds outweigh his own. Nevertheless, as it currently stands, the Aussie Cossack could effectively be trapped in the Russian Consulate for years, given he face five years jail if he steps outside its gates. Workers should demand: Drop All Charges Against the Aussie Cossack!

While we call for the unconditional release of the Aussie Cossack, this does not imply endorsement of the whole range of his political views. For example, he traces his heritage to the White Russians, who fought against the 1917 October Revolution, which we regard as the greatest achievement yet won by the international working class. He also displays nationalism and anti-socialism, particularly towards the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The PRC is facing the prospect of a US imperialist led proxy war via Taiwan, in the same way in which Russia is facing a US imperialist led proxy war via Ukraine. Working people must sternly oppose Western provoked wars against both Russia and China.

With the horrifying prospect of Canberra and Washington careering the globe to nuclear war, there will need to be coalitions with those who have taken different sides on many secondary issues. Yet the only real prospect of permanently ending the danger of WWIII is the success of socialist revolutions in the West, combined with proletarian political revolutions in the East. This requires the urgent founding of internationally linked Marxist vanguard parties which can illuminate the path to a socialist order.

WORKERS  LEAGUE

www.redfireonline.com

E: workersleague@protonmail.com

[1] www.sanctionsnews.bakermckenzie.com/australia-adopts-further-sanctions-against-russia/ (28-02-2023)

[2] www.foreignminister.gov.au/minister/penny-wong/media-release/australia-stands-ukraine-additional-military-support-and-sanctions (28-02-2023)

[3] www.thenewdaily.com.au/news/world/2023/02/26/australia-trained-ukraine-troops/ (28-02-2023)

[4] https://www.youtube.com/@AussieCossack

[5] www.worldfreedomalliance.org/au/news/aussie-cossack-jailed-for-political-activism/ (01-03-2023)

[6] cairnsnews.org/2023/01/04/aussie-cossack-asks-asio-why-they-are-not-monitoring-the-political-parties-which-have-seriously-harmed-the-people-with-covid-vaxx/ (01-03-2023)

[7] www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1113122929405736 (01-03-2023)

Photo: The Aussie Cossack at a rally in Sydney. http://www.vk.com