Although Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev might be leading some to believe the Soviets are interested in becoming more democratic, recent actions indicate otherwise.

Gorbachev claims to want peace, but obviously not within his own country—unless socialist restraint is considered peaceful.

The recent actions in Moscow further illustrate how Gorbachev’s attempts to have the best of both worlds makes it obvious that the Soviet Union is, and will always be a socialist society—no matter how many peace talks and negotiations take place.

One violent incident occurred Monday night after protesters left a candlelight vigil outside KGB headquarters in memory of those killed and imprisoned by Josef Stalin. The protesters were honoring the unofficial Day of the Political Prisoner when some were “knocked to the ground, beaten and dragged into police buses.” The police actions against the protesters are thought to be the harshest in more than a year and a half.

Of course Gorbachev never said he wanted to make the Soviet Union a democracy, and there probably isn’t anyone who expected them to begin following a democratic system.

But we must remember our fellow human beings over there being beaten for expressing their opinions and honoring those who died for their beliefs. Gorbachev might want peace, but only as long as it is the way he wants it—quiet and with no arguments.