Protesters Gather in 100 Cities Across Russia; Top Putin Critic Is Arrested

[Zippyjuan]

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/26/w...alny.html?_r=0

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MOSCOW — The Russian police arrested hundreds of people in nationwide anti-corruption protests on Sunday, including the opposition leader Aleksei Navalny in Moscow, where thousands gathered for the biggest demonstration in five years against President Vladimir V. Putin.

The protest in the capital took the form of a synchronized walk along a major shopping street to avoid a ban on unsanctioned stationary gatherings. It coincided with similar rallies in 99 cities across the country — from Vladivostok in the far east to Kaliningrad in the west — according to the organizer, Mr. Navalny’s anti-corruption foundation.

All but 17 of these, the foundation said, had been declared illegal by the authorities.

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In Moscow, some protesters tried to block security vans with cars, and the authorities deployed the riot police and surveillance helicopters. But they mostly avoided the brutal measures used in neighboring Belarus on Saturday against protesters in the capital, Minsk, and other cities.

The police in Belarus beat and arrested hundreds of people who tried to gather for the latest in demonstrations against President Alexander Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994.

The protests in Russia on Sunday — nominally against corruption but also a rare show of public defiance against Mr. Putin, who has found a fierce and enduring critic in Mr. Navalny — were the largest coordinated display of public dissatisfaction since anti-Kremlin demonstrations in 2011 and 2012, after an election that was tainted by fraud.

Protesters tried to prevent a police van from taking Mr. Navalny away and chanted: “This is our city. This is our city.” Others shouted, “Russia without Putin,” and held up pieces of paper denouncing the Russian president and his allies as thieves.

In a Twitter post, Mr. Navalny urged his followers to continue with the demonstration after he was grabbed by police officers as he tried to join the crowds of mostly young protesters parading along Tverskaya Street in the center of Moscow.

“Guys, I’m O.K.,” he wrote in a message in Russian. “No need to fight to get me out. Walk along Tverskaya. Our topic of the day is the fight against corruption.”

The Moscow Police Department said on its website that “around 500” people had been arrested in the city for taking part in an “unapproved public event.” OVD-info, a group that monitors arrests, said the number of arrests in Moscow was at least 1,000.

Instead of waving big banners with antigovernment slogans as in previous protests, most of those who joined Sunday’s walk on Tverskaya Street displayed their feelings more discreetly. Some waved Russian flags, cloaking their opposition in the same patriotism that Mr. Putin has used so successfully to boost his popularity.

Others carried small and easily hidden signs featuring pictures of ducks, a reference to a claim by Mr. Navalny that corrupt officials even build houses for their ducks. Among those arrested in Moscow were Russian and foreign journalists, the leader of a small opposition party, Nikolai Lyaskin — who said he was hit around the head by police officers and taken to a hospital — and a British student, Gregory Hill, 17.

Instead of directly attacking Mr. Putin, who is hugely popular outside more liberal-leaning cities like Moscow, Mr. Navalny has focused on rallying support by exposing corruption, an issue that alarms even many of Mr. Putin’s supporters.

State television, the main source of news for most Russians, responded to the protests by ignoring them. Vesti Nedeli, Russia’s most popular news program, devoted its Sunday evening broadcast to celebrating Russian military heroes and denouncing crime and corruption — in Ukraine.

[anaconda]

Apparently American citizens are not as motivated as the Russian people.

[sparebulb]

One would think that if Zippy was so passionate about expanding gay and pedophile rights in Russia, he would put his ass where his mouth is and go join the protest over there.

Instead, he sits on his biscuit, without having to risk it......

.......at his computer in his cubicle.

Zippy is like a hero drone pilot, vaporizing children from far, far away.

[juleswin]

More power to these people, all govt need to be reminded all the time that they work for the people. But just a word of warning, change usually go two ways positive or negative. Sadly, the probability of the condition getting worse is always higher than it getting better, so you demand change at your own risk.

Hopefully the people at the Kremlin are paying attention to whats going on in the streets.

[sparebulb]

More power to these people, all govt need to be reminded all the time that they work for the people. But just a word of warning, change usually go two ways positive or negative. Sadly, the probability of the condition getting worse is always higher than it getting better, so you demand change at your own risk.

Hopefully the people at the Kremlin are paying attention to whats going on in the streets.

Solzhenitsyn, if he were here, would probably educate us as to who these protesters are, what they really want, and who has radicalized them.

He was very pleased with V.V. Putin, FYI.

I suppose he would be pleased that you included him in your tag line.

[juleswin]

Solzhenitsyn, if he were here, would probably educate us as to who these protesters are, what they really want, and who has radicalized them.

He was very pleased with V.V. Putin, FYI.

I suppose he would be pleased that you included him in your tag line.

Sadly, I am yet to read any of his novels. I just know him by the quotes that he has going around the internet. And I cannot tell what he would do or say about the protesters.

I think even if this is some CIA/outside forces hatched uprising, it is still a good thing for the state to be reminded every once in a while who is providing the funds that allows their pay cheques to be cleared.

[silverhandorder]

They used to draw crowds of 50k plus. Now the biggest one was like 5k. Also Russians are paranoid of any shenanigans. General pop 100% behind any shenanigans stomping. The only reason why this drew crowds was because scandal against Putin's rival is pretty big. Prime minister is getting a lot of donations to his foundation ala Hillary Clinton style. Russians tend to be ok with that but in last couple of years they have become less tolerant of govt officials getting it on the side.

As an example govt workers and politicians sometimes get paid in envelopes when they are productive or tow the party line. Over the years salaries have been raised so nowadays this is being phased out.

[Zippyjuan]

They used to draw crowds of 50k plus. Now the biggest one was like 5k. Also Russians are paranoid of any shenanigans. General pop 100% behind any shenanigans stomping. The only reason why this drew crowds was because scandal against Putin's rival is pretty big. Prime minister is getting a lot of donations to his foundation ala Hillary Clinton style. Russians tend to be ok with that but in last couple of years they have become less tolerant of govt officials getting it on the side.

As an example govt workers and politicians sometimes get paid in envelopes when they are productive or tow the party line. Over the years salaries have been raised so nowadays this is being phased out.

the number of arrests in Moscow was at least 1,000.

Things like that tend to reduce the number of people willing to participate. These protesters were also trying be more discrete.

Instead of waving big banners with antigovernment slogans as in previous protests, most of those who joined Sunday’s walk on Tverskaya Street displayed their feelings more discreetly. Some waved Russian flags, cloaking their opposition in the same patriotism that Mr. Putin has used so successfully to boost his popularity.

Others carried small and easily hidden signs featuring pictures of ducks, a reference to a claim by Mr. Navalny that corrupt officials even build houses for their ducks.