Emigres Find Common Ground in Protesting Gorbachev Ouster

Southern California emigres from the Soviet Union, China and Eastern Europe, each with his own political agenda, have begun to work on a common goal, protesting the emergency government in Moscow.

Only a few days ago, the prospect of a demonstration in support of ousted Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev would have been highly unlikely, organizers said. But his sudden replacement by a hard-line Emergency Committee changed that picture overnight, giving rise to fears of a quick end to emigration and a reversal of the movement of Soviet republics toward independence.

At a meeting Tuesday night, representatives of Southern California groups including Latvians, Estonians, Lithuanians, Jews, Armenians, Chinese and others, looked for ways to influence the events thousands of miles away.

“We didn’t think we were going forward with Gorbachev, but this is ridiculous,” said Paul Viskanta, a spokesman for the Lithuanian Action Center, which was host of the session.

“We want to coordinate the people so the different agendas can work together and each can find a common bottom line. There’s no need to plan four demonstrations when we can all plan one, and we can each have a voice within that demonstration,” he said.

The first event is planned for Friday at the Federal Building in Westwood, a site previously selected for a Baltic-American Freedom League rally protesting the Soviet annexation of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania 51 years ago.

“It has already been stated that the invasion which is taking place right now in the Baltics could be what’s to come for Armenia,” said Beth Broussalian public relations director for the Armenian National Committee.

“This gives us as much reason as it gives the Baltics reason to speak out on this issue,” she said.

While demonstrations in Westwood may have little direct influence on events in Moscow, even the smallest action may have an impact, said a Chinese-American representative.

“I really don’t know what the impact will be, but we do these things because we believe in it,” said Ting Huang, chairman of American-Chinese Human Rights Advocates, which erected a Los Angeles statue of the Goddess of Democracy after the 1989 Tian An Men Square massacre.