Why Do People Take to the Streets?

Nobody (among the participants of protest rallies) believes that there are authorized and unauthorized rallies. There are two types of rallies: the ones where people get beaten and the ones where they don't. This is easy to read. If people are ready to go where they will be beaten - this is a breaking point.
Lately, we have seen a fair amount of people who are ready to join such protests, knowing that they will be beaten and thrown in prisons. It is connected to the fact that society is slowly becoming politicized. Seven years ago, people were truly surprised when the government imprisoned innocent people. Now the attitude to the government has changed, it is the way it works — it will imprison people. And people who go to the streets today know they are taking risks. It is another level of awareness. As a result, it brings opposition to another level as well because it is hard to intimidate those people.

In Moscow one can hear: 'We are not afraid.' It is the negative motivation. It is the strongest one, but its mobilization capability is limited. There is also a positive motivation – that is why this whole story with Moscow Duma (regional parliament) and political force build-up [has occurred]. People are ready to invest in this – people who are concerned with what will happen to the country. Recently, there is a growing number of such people. It can be seen clearly by the youth [activist] groups. The number of discussion clubs is growing. The questions of how to live in the future are raised there.