• Russians turn out in their thousands to protest against Vladimir Putin
    22 replies, posted
[quote] [i]Tuesday 12 June 2012 13.08 BST[/i] [b]Opposition leaders summoned by authorities just hours before first big demonstration since president's inauguration. Tens of thousands of Russians have flooded Moscow's tree-lined boulevards in the first big protest against Vladimir Putin since his inauguration as president, as investigators sought to raise the heat on the opposition by summoning some of its leaders for questioning just an hour before the march.[/b] The rally is a crucial test of Putin's approach to the opposition, following the swift passage of a repressive new bill introducing heavy penalties for taking part in unauthorised rallies. Police searched the apartments of opposition leaders on Monday and called many in for interrogation in what was widely described as a crude attempt by the government to scare the protesters. Leftist politician Sergei Udaltsov snubbed the summons, saying on Twitter that he considered it his duty to lead the protest as one of its organisers. The investigative committee said it wouldn't immediately seek his arrest and would interrogate him later. Anti-corruption blogger Alexei Navalny, liberal activist Ilya Yashin and TV host Ksenia Sobchak all attended the interrogation session, which meant they missed the demonstration. Investigative committee spokesman Vladimir Markin said authorities had found more than €1m (£805,000) in cash at Sobchak's apartment and would initiate a check to see whether she had paid her taxes. Sobchak, the only daughter of a late mayor of St. Petersburg who was Putin's mentor, had been spared reprisals until Monday's raid. "I never thought that we would slide back to such repressions," she tweeted on Monday. Braving a brief thunderstorm, protesters showed up at the landmark Pushkin Square prior to the planned march, and their number grew as they began marching down boulevards to a broad downtown avenue where the rally is to be held. Despite fears of unrest following a violent police crackdown at a previous protest last month, the demonstration went ahead peacefully. Udaltsov put the number of protesters at 50,000, while police estimated about 18,000 showed up. "Those in power should feel this pressure. We will protest by any means, whether peacefully or not," said Anton Maryasov, a 25-year-old postgraduate student. "If they ignore us, that would mean that bloodshed is inevitable." Another protester, 20-year-old statistics student Anatoly Ivanyukov, said that attempts by the authorities to disrupt the rally would only fuel more protest. "It's like when you forbid children to do something, it makes them even more willing to do that," he said. The investigators' action follows the quick passage last week of a new bill that will raise fines 150-fold on those who take part in unauthorised protests to nearly the average annual salary in Russia. "I can't predict whether I'll leave here freely or in handcuffs," Yashin told reporters before entering the investigative committee headquarters for an interrogation. "The government is doing everything possible so that I don't end up there [at the protest]." The top Twitter hashtag in Russia on Monday was "Welcome to the Year '37," a reference to the height of the purges under Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. Tuesday's protest has city approval, but any shift from the agreed location and timeframe could give police a pretext for a crackdown. Sergei Parkhomenko, a leading journalist who helped organise the protest, said the authorities would like to see unrest to support their criticism of the opposition. "They would be happy to stage some kind of provocation to prove that the people are just a herd of animals and the animals are always out of control," he said. The previous big opposition rally, a day before Putin's inauguration in May, ended in fierce clashes between police and protesters, and some opposition activists said the violence was provoked by pro-Kremlin thugs. The raids of the opposition leaders' homes and their questioning was connected to the 6 May protest. [/quote] [url]http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/12/russians-thousands-protest-vladimir-putin?newsfeed=true[/url]
So there won't be any revolution or anything any time soon. 25k-30k (50k is too much, though there's no reason at all to believe police either) after 100k is a total defeat. Looks like people are returning to their kitchens to talk politics, heh, just like they did while Soviets were in power.
Shhh.... only vodka now....
Massive Government crackdown in 3... 2... 1...
[QUOTE=gudman;36300091]So there won't be any revolution or anything any time soon. 25k-30k (50k is too much, though there's no reason at all to believe police either) after 100k is a total defeat. Looks like people are returning to their kitchens to talk politics, heh, just like they did while Soviets were in power.[/QUOTE] In Russia, the authorities set a limit as to how many people can come. The number of participants is limited by the police inspectors at the entrance: [img]http://en.rian.ru/images/17046/43/170464324.jpg[/img] When a protest license is given, a maximum amount of participants is given as well by the authorities.
[QUOTE=GenPol;36300120]In Russia, the authorities set a limit as to how many people can come. The number of participants is limited by the police inspectors at the entrance: [img]http://en.rian.ru/images/17046/43/170464324.jpg[/img] When a protest license is given, a maximum amount of participants is given as well by the authorities.[/QUOTE] Because when you hate the autorities (or in this case, question their legitimacy) - you obey all they tell you to do.
putin ought to go the way of mubarak and gaddafi and all their ilk cause frankly him and his cronies are no different
[QUOTE=Lachz0r;36300206]putin ought to go the way of mubarak and gaddafi and all their ilk cause frankly him and his cronies are no different[/QUOTE] Except that people actually have nothing against him, it seems.
[QUOTE=gudman;36300156]Because when you hate the autorities (or in this case, question their legitimacy) - you obey all they tell you to do.[/QUOTE] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72NWY9exEj0[/media] Well, they should wait for the general political apathy in Russia to fade away over the course of the years, and then try a coup d'etat, just like was attempted in 1993 (not a revolution, because that's inefficient, too bloody and damaging, and takes far longer than a properly orchestrated coup).
[QUOTE=GenPol;36300278][media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72NWY9exEj0[/media] Well, they should wait for the general political apathy in Russia to fade away over the course of the years, and then try a coup d'etat, just like was attempted in 1993 (not a revolution, because that's inefficient, too bloody and damaging, and takes far longer than a properly orchestrated coup).[/QUOTE] Will not do. Any kind of power or authority will be hated here, I strongly believe that. Looks like people WANT someone authoritarian. It can as well be Putin, why the hell not. I'm thinking about packing my suitcases before all this rusty trainwreck of a country will go off the rails.
I expected Putin to send at least 5 tanks there,oh well...
[QUOTE=gudman;36300376]Will not do. Any kind of power or authority will be hated here, I strongly believe that. Looks like people WANT someone authoritarian. It can as well be Putin, why the hell not. I'm thinking about packing my suitcases before all this rusty trainwreck of a country will go off the rails.[/QUOTE] "Looks like people WANT someone authoritarian." Yeah, I'm sure they also want someone corrupt, with their watches alone exceeding 6 of their annual salaries. I'm sure they really want their homeland to have a higher level of corruption than that of Syria, Mali, Nigeria ([url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corruption_Perceptions_Index[/url]), and be on the 143 place on the corruption index statistics.
soon he might be [I]putin[/I] his foot down
genpol are you a bot working for the FSB, trying to single out everyone of us who oppose Putin then send in death squads to liquidate us?
RIP
[QUOTE=GenPol;36300615]"Looks like people WANT someone authoritarian." Yeah, I'm sure they also want someone corrupt, with their watches alone exceeding 6 of their annual salaries. I'm sure they really want their homeland to have a higher level of corruption than that of Syria, Mali, Nigeria ([url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corruption_Perceptions_Index[/url]), and be on the 143 place on the corruption index statistics.[/QUOTE] I don't think most people actually care about all that. Their personal life (and their family) matters more, and it's quite common thought: "well, at least I have something... it might get worse, so it's better this way".
[QUOTE=gudman;36300928]I don't think most people actually care about all that. Their personal life (and their family) matters more, and it's quite common thought: "well, at least I have something... it might get worse, so it's better this way".[/QUOTE] Maybe those who aren't politically active and completely ignorant in politics don't care. I don't see how any sane AND politically active person wouldn't care about their country being one of the most corrupt states in the world, with a very low freedom of the press and mass media index, and with widespread electoral fraud. However, the general political apathy in Russia is fading, as shown by the protests. Those who aren't politically apathetic seem to be very politically active, which is a good thing. And the politically active population size is getting bigger and bigger. This is evidenced by Putin's approval ratings are spiraling down, and non-approval ratings going up.
Oh no, not this bullshit again.
[QUOTE=gudman;36300928]I don't think most people actually care about all that. Their personal life (and their family) matters more, and it's quite common thought: "well, at least I have something... it might get worse, so it's better this way".[/QUOTE] And on top of that, the corruption of this regime influences every level of the society, and people's personal life. Even me and my parents (when we still lived in Russa) had to pay huge bribes every time to get through. Not only are the top government officials corrupt, but the local government officials and even the police is. No wonder Russia has such corruption ratings (worse than Syria, Nigeria, etc). As it was said in the leaked diplomatic cables, it's a "Mafia state".
[QUOTE=GenPol;36301058]And on top of that, the corruption of this regime influences every level of the society, and people's personal life. Even me and my parents (when we still lived in Russa) had to pay huge bribes every time to get through. Not only are the top government officials corrupt, but the local government officials and even the police is. No wonder Russia has such corruption ratings (worse than Syria, Nigeria, etc). As it was said in the leaked diplomatic cables, it's a "Mafia state".[/QUOTE] I agree with you on everything. But still that does not change the fact that majority of people are oblivious of the fact that our country is a trainwreck. I'm a journalist myself, but I had to abandon my profession because of this - people just don't care about anything besides TV programme.
[QUOTE=gudman;36302788]I agree with you on everything. But still that does not change the fact that majority of people are oblivious of the fact that our country is a trainwreck. I'm a journalist myself, but I had to abandon my profession because of this - people just don't care about anything besides TV programme.[/QUOTE] So, how is it being a journalist? Aside from people not caring, whats the job like?
[QUOTE=Jetblack357;36302852]So, how is it being a journalist? Aside from people not caring, whats the job like?[/QUOTE] An increased risk of "disappearing" or getting shot in an elevator. Russia was labeled the second most dangerous country for journalists (after Iraq) by various journalist organizations. [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_journalists_killed_in_Russia[/url]
[QUOTE=Jetblack357;36302852]So, how is it being a journalist? Aside from people not caring, whats the job like?[/QUOTE] It sucks, I was dissapointed with it during my study at Moscow University, but still tried. It's boring and very hard, basically everything by yourself. At least where I worked, first at local state weekly newspaper then in "Russian Reporter" magazine. Both sucked dick. Maybe a bad place to work. "People not caring" stuff is, honestly, the least of the reasons to abandon this job altogether. [QUOTE=GenPol;36303058]An increased risk of "disappearing" or getting shot in an elevator. Russia was labeled the second most dangerous country for journalists (after Iraq) by various journalist organizations. [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_journalists_killed_in_Russia[/url][/QUOTE] Heh heh. You must be pretty high-class to dissapear. Though "Russian Reporter" got re-formed precisely because of this. Someone "up there" said that we're pulling the wrong strings. Now I think about applying for the job for a new magazine, "Dilettant". It looks like it's honest and serious.
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