"I don't want to see the executioner's face"

In Perm, on the corner of the Siberian and Bolshaya Yamskaya streets (now Pushkin), there is a house in which Sergey Diaghilev spent part of childhood. The mansion in the style of Russian classicism was bought by the grandfather of Diaghilev, Pavel Dmitrievich, in 1862. From the end of the 19th century, when the house was bought by the Perm district zemstvo, gymnasium and schools have been located here-now it is gymnasium No. 11 named after Sergey Diaghilev. Recently, along with a portrait of the famous Russian theater figure, one of the external walls of the gymnasium is decorated with a large poster, which depict Stalin, Lenin, Ivan the Terrible and other characters of Russian history. Many Permians are outraged by his appearance and are going to at any cost to ensure that Stalin’s image disappears from the wall of the educational institution.

The appearance of a banner, which the leadership of the gymnasium justifies the need to teach schoolchildren to "understand the essence of historical processes", caused the protests of the residents of the city and parents of some students. Among the dissatisfied with the appearance of the portrait of Stalin on the building was a local resident, director of the Piotrovsky bookstores, Mikhail Maltsev , who studies a son at the Diaghilev gymnasium. "I do not want to bring the child to school every time, seeing the face of the executioner of my family," says Maltsev, whose grandfather was dispossessed and shot in 1938.

At first glance, the banner looks innocent, although stupid - an unprepared layman may seem that he talks about the famous natives of the Perm Territory. “My Russia. My Perm Territory,” is written in arshin letters over portraits of famous people, including, in addition to Lenin, Stalin and Grozny, there are Turgenev, Gagarin, Pushkin, Chekhov and others - only 48 pieces. “We study. We know. We understand” - says the signature at the bottom of the poster.

Banner on the wall of the Diaghilev gymnasium in Perm. Stalin - in the lower row, the second on the right

In the comments on the post of Mikhail Maltsev, in his reposts, as well as in the Perm publics of VKontakte there were other opponents of the poster - although, it would seem, this is not even a monument to Stalin, who with frightening regularity appear in more and more Russian cities. But Perm is an unusual region, which has been distinguished by democratism against the backdrop of neighbors: not so much time has passed since the moment Oleg Chirkunov stood at the head of the region, famous for its relatively liberal views, and the Perm-36 museum in the former camp of the same name for the political prisoners determined and determines the face of the region, although its leadership was forced to dilute, several years ago, was forced to depart, And the museum’s exposition now tells no longer about the victims of the Stalinist repressions, but about the difficult fate of the warders for the arrested “enemies of the people”, “shock labor” and prisoners, “lifting foam on trifles” . Chirkunov, by the way, shared Mikhail Maltsev on his Facebook by a post, sharing his indignation in connection with the image of Stalin on the wall of the Diaghilev gymnasium.

In an interview with Radio Liberty, Mikhail Maltsev, who learned about the appearance of a poster on the school wall, while in Yekaterinburg, says that after returning to Perm he will seek a meeting with the leadership of the gymnasium - and if they do not listen to the opponents of the poster with Stalin, he will try to remove it from the wall himself:

- What happened? Why was this banner so outraged on the wall of the gymnasium? What is known about the history of his appearance there?

- It is placed on the building of the Diaghilev gymnasium. My eldest son is studying at the Diaghilev gymnasium. This is already an absurd poster, where they offer to "study and understand our history", for some reason it was made as if these people are related precisely to the Perm Territory. How - it is incomprehensible, but nevertheless. Among other things, there is a portrait of Stalin. I believe that to hang a portrait of Stalin on school, especially for a school, where children and relatives of this person directly affected by the politics may study, is absolutely incorrect and unacceptable. Since in Russia there are no legal mechanisms to resolve such things, you have to simply be indignant in private. So I was indignant.

“But Stalin is not alone there, there are 42 portraits.”

Imagine a German school depicting Hitler

- I do not really like parallels between Stalin and Hitler, because these are different animals. But just conduct a mental experiment. Imagine a German school, which depicts Bismarck, someone else, and among others-Adolf Hitler with the inscription "Unsere Geschichte" ("Our History", German) . Honestly, I can’t imagine this. Or a French school, which depicts Robespierre. Of course, I am not against studying history. I am not against looking at this story with some courage, or something, not avoiding talking about all these things. But I am absolutely opposed to the portraits of mass political killers hang in any context, except strictly negative, are hung out to the buildings of public schools. Those connotations that surround this portrait, they, I would say, are positive. In the clubs of the Stalinists - let them hang, for the sake of God! Are you going there somewhere in your cellars and discuss what Joseph Vissarionovich was a great man? OK then. In history textbooks - yes, but not at a state school.

-Previously, the leadership of this school was noticed in some, I don’t know, sympathies to Stalin or sympathies to that period of history? In your comments they write that the "cult of Kolchak" reigns in it. Was there something connected with Stalin?

- No, I did not notice it. Here it is necessary to understand that I reacted in a personal way, individual and very emotional, precisely because I did not assume that this would turn into some kind of discussion. Maybe then I would somehow more reasonably express my indignation. This, as they say, the first reaction. I have a person in my family, who was shot in 1938 - my paternal great -grandfather, who in 1938 was shot by the verdict of the Troika. I have all rehabilitation documents indicating what it is shot for. He was dispossessed. There are certificates that his family had property confiscated in the amount of one house, one horse and one seeder. Here is such a "fist".

My great -grandfather in 1938 was shot by the verdict of "Troika"

A man with a large family who has a house, a seeder, a horse, a cart is a fist. Property confiscated - this means that the family after his execution was kicked out into the street. This is a fact, twice confirmed by the state-the first rehabilitation commission was in 1957, in my opinion, and then in the 90s-at the secondary request of my relatives. I contacted them last year and asked these documents to send me. I consider my family a victim from Stalinist repressions. This is an absolutely proven and obvious fact not only for me, but for any person who trusts historical documents. To come to the school where my son is studying, and to see on the wall a portrait of the executioner of my family is outrageous for me! First of all, I personally hastened to express my indignation.

-What happens in Perm and in the Perm Territory with the memory of victims of political repressions after the Perm-36 museum has sharply changed its concept, turning from the museum of political repression into the Vertukhaev Museum, as it is now often called? Have you been to this gymnasium, for example, any "memory lessons", something similar? This year - 80 years, the beginning of a large terror. Throughout Russia there will be many different, including official events.

Camp "Perm-36"

-As I understand it, the situation with the Perm-36 museum remains deplorable. Nothing good happens there. In general, you know, I did not notice some obvious glorification of Stalin and Stalinism. There were several incidents, but primarily related to political forces, which, in fact, are engaged in this glorification-like the Communist Party, who used the portrait of Stalin during the election campaign and, by the way, also caused indignation among most or less active residents of Perm. There are some marginal groups such as Kurginyans who are all such scandals. They are now sitting on Facebook, write comments. I answer someone, but someone does not. In general, there is a feeling that an attempt to get Stalin and somehow make the Stalinist question ambiguous with the silent approval of the authorities is made by a limited and marginal group of people. In Russia, there is no legislation that would criminally punish the denial of the fact of repression, the size of these repressions, for the Glorification of Stalin. Since there are no such mechanisms, there remains personal and public outrage on this subject. This is the only mechanism now available now. Therefore, in this regard, it is better, of course, to overpower than undergoing. And this disease only with its occurrence and attempts to spread immediately to try to somehow stop.

Minibus with a portrait of Stalin in Volgograd, 2013

Still, Perm is a city of pronounced democratic orientation, especially clearly this was expressed in the 90s. And the activities of historians and local historians did not go unnoticed. Therefore, I believe that in relation to Perm we can practically talk about some consensus regarding Stalin and Stalinist repressions, with the exception of some small marginal groups.

- I also noticed that there are a lot of people, not only on Facebook, but also on different VKontakte communities, are very outraged by this banner. Although, for example, there was a story from Arkhangelsk, where the authorities fined the activist of the “last address” for trying to attach a sign to a wooden house. In some other cities, they put monuments to Stalin, something else. And such mass indignation, as it seemed to me at least, I have not seen in any case.

- Yes, I think this is a fact. And probably, it is associated with the activities of the previous leadership of the Perm-36 memorial center and, in general, with the presence of a large number of educated people in the city.

- What will you do when you return to Perm? Do you already have any like-minded people among other parents of children in this school who are ready to take any specific actions so that this banner is removed from there?

-You know, I somehow do not particularly participate in the life of the school, because I do not have a lot of time for this, unfortunately. I will first go to the administration and try to talk with the administration, with the director, if I succeed. If it doesn’t work out, then you have to try to tear this banner somehow. I understand that this is fraught with some administrative fines and so on, but there are no other options. I do not urge anyone to join and participate in this. This is my personal business, this is my personal way to respond to this. But I hope that they will be removed.

- One of the residents of Perm, who reposted your message, called the director of the Diaghilev gymnasium Raisa Zobachev "Uzcarisay". Why so?

- Probably, this is said in a negative sense. Probably, this person has a lot of merits before the school and before education in the city. This is an educational institution with a good reputation. Actually, that's why we gave our child there. But there was a long story with the construction of a new building of this school. This director had such a dream - to build a new building, a new school. This was done, of course. In order for all this to happen, he had to go to contacts, all kinds of concessions and interactions with various representatives of the authorities - from local to regional and federal. Therefore, as I suspect, she has a certain ideological dependence on the general political course in the country. Perhaps a banner is some kind of attempt to adhere to this course. In this case, it is very regrettable. And the need for this does not mean at all that both me and other parents need to look at what is happening through their fingers, ”says Mikhail Maltsev .

Radio Liberty tried to contact representatives of the gymnasium No. 11. In response to a request for a commentary in the secretariat of the educational institution, they answered that they could not provide him, since an employee of the press service "will go to work only in three days."

According to Kommersant, the plan of the poster on the facade of the building was "so that the youth knew what happened in the country in one or another period, which happened in this way, and not otherwise, as well as how different personalities affected the history of the state." “Knowing and understanding the essence of historical processes in one or another period is the most important educational task. To pretend that one or another period of our history, one or another figure did not exist - incorrectly. Ignorance leads to a repetition of the mistakes of the past, and knowledge avoids such mistakes,” the publication quotes the words of an unnamed representative of the gymnasium.

Director - a courageous woman, was not afraid of piles of liberals who attack like jackals

The “untouchable” gymnasium director Raisa Zobacheva, who was also failed to contact Radio Liberty, also failed to contact their defenders in this story. The Secretary of the Union of Writers of Russia, Chairman of the Perm Civil Committee "In Protection of the Cultural Heritage" Igor Tyulenev (at one time - one of the most ardent opponents of the "Cultural Revolution" in Perm) supported Zobachev in an interview with Reginuma: "Stalin is an outstanding statesman who increased the country's industrial potential, led the state to win the war. Director of Dyagilevskaya. Raisa Zobachev is well done! In a survey of the local publication of the Moscow Komsomolets on the topic of Diaghilev or Stalin, the first leads the first: 45% of those responsible for preserving the banner on the school of the school, 54% for dismantling it.