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by p1esk 1278 days ago
I grew up on a street named after him, but I had no idea who he was until now. Fascinating.
2 comments

I’m rather surprised he might not be not better known here.

Kropotkin is a major figure of anarchism that you’ll found revered even in some Russel's books. Surely hackernews readership red all Russel works — both color, didn’t it?

Don’t you search for a Wikipedia biography each time you cross an antonomastic street, creating it if needed?

In some countries almost every street is named after a person, so it would be too much trouble to research every street name.

We have a square named after indian city of Bangalore - the Bangalore square. I was sure for a long time that's just another (jewish?) surname. Even though I knew that city, in context of street names I simply assume surnames, it didn't occur to me to think anything else.

We had a Minsk Square in Bangalore too. They are sister cities
Yes, I learned that at some point. You say "had" - I hope it's not renamed / destroyed?
Its still there ...
I’m very familiar with Kropotkin, but not Russel.
Oh boy, do you have an opportunity here. I suggest starting with "Understanding History and Other Essays".
Ohhhh Bertrand Russell... Yeah he is great. I have just never heard anyone refer to him without including his first name.
Nestor Makhno considered himself a student of Kropotkin.
If anyone's unaware: famous Ukrainian anti-anti-semitist/anarchist revolutionary who lead a peasant revolt that supported farmer communes in much of Ukraine before getting crushed by both the White and Red Army

pro-russian tankies hate him

fwiw, even Lyube has a song memorialising Makhno, Батька Махно, and I don't know if they're considered tankies, but they're definitely tankie-adjacent (they sang at the pro-"Z" concert at the start of the invasion, ffs).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRMfa6MSAaY

I suppose they aren't too bright then.
Pro-Soviet, not "pro-Russian."
I was specifically referring to the vein of tankies that are pro-Russia in the ongoing invasion of Ukraine (yes they exist)
There may be less distance than we think.

I'm not sure what's going on in https://youtu.be/LffLqUwlY2Y?t=200 , but would not be surprised if it's something to do with rehabilitating Stalin (of the eponymous tanks)?