We have the right to self-defense by all available means

Press-conference, organized by Free Idel-Ural civic movement, took place at August 1 at Glavkom press centre in Kyiv. A co-founder of the movement, erzyan activist Syres’ Bolyayen’ informed about current situation on official languages in Idel-Ural republics, namely Mordovia, Mari El, Chuvashia, Udmurtia, Tatarstan and Bashkortostan.

Activists explain that Moscow aims to marginalize official languages of Idel-Ural, to restrict their use to the most narrow domain. Aim of such actions is not only to weaken positions of a certain language but also to shorten numbers of university and college professors, school teachers, scientists, writers, journalists – in other words, everybody who forms the backbone of national intellectual class. 

“There is no more dangerous enemy for a nation than it’s own intellectuals, raised and educated by an invader. Look right here: so-called “elections” occur and teachers in electoral committees are engaged in falsification of voting results, and then they teach our children. So teachers take their work from themselves. If the law on voluntarily study of national languages is finally adopted, who will study to become a teacher of erzyan language, realizing there is no work and career prospects? School is the place, where a language is studied, the place for education and development. Without obligatory study of official languages there will be just some writers, writing for themselves. But nobody would read their works in national languages”, – Syres’ Bolyayen’ explains.

Free Idel-Ural movement appealed to Erzya, Moksha, Mari, Chuvashs, Udmurts, Tatars and Bashkirs for active manifestation of their own civic stance. “It is impossible to be happy because they took away not all our rights yet. 

Otherwise a time will come, when we will scream, but it will be nobody to hear us. We are being violently converted into Russians, we are being destroyed. So we have the right to self-defense by all available means”, – activists summarized.

Reference. Free Idel-Ural civic movement struggles for independence of republics of Erzya-Moksha (Mordovia), Mari El, Chuvashia, Udmurtia, Tatarstan and Bashkortostan. The movement stands for restoration of presidency in each Idel-Ural Republic, for republican government authorities’ right to independently determine and realize their domestic and foreign policy. The strategic goal of Free Idel-Ural is to create a union of six republics with common border, common economic space and collective safety system.