Two Ukrainian socialist feminist activists will visit Sheffield tomorrow to celebrate International Women’s Week.
Comrades Rukh Gulenok and Kateryna (Bri) Kostrova, members of Ukrainian socialist organisation Sotsialnyi, will speak alongside local trade unionists and activists involved in Ukrainian solidarity work.
The event will be hosted by the Alliance for Workers Liberty, on Friday, March 10, from 7-9 pm at Sheffield Quaker Meeting House in St James Street.
It is part of a nationwide tour by the pair in March who will travel to various cities to meet activists, trade unionists, socialists, and feminists, speaking at conferences and public meetings.
Mark Osborn, who works for the Alliance for Workers’ Liberty, said: “We have invited these two women over to the UK because we feel as though the voices of Ukrainian socialists and feminists have not been heard on the British Left.
“The British Left has not been particularly supportive of Ukraine’s fight against Russian Imperialism.”
The comrades of Sotsialnyi Rukh have been active in countless campaigns against the Ukrainian capitalist class – and now they have the added burden of having to fight the new Russian invasion and occupation.
Mr Osborn said: “These people face occupation, rape, violence, destruction of all democracy, all labour movement organizations, and they have the right to fight. These women are representative of the Ukrainian Left to them.”
He said it is probably not that these women are extremely articulate advocates for women’s rights, women’s liberation, and for socialism.
“They have a unique voice that people have not heard before. So it will help people to think about the issues and it will help promote solidarity, practical access solidarity,” he added.
“In order to build support, we need to convince people that support is worth fighting for, and these women will help our process.
More information about Ukrainian socialist feminists speak can be found here