The city is waiting for spring

The idea of ​​the “Great White Circle” - standing along the entire Garden Ring - was criticized quite a lot almost from the moment it began to be introduced among Facebook users. They say that it is far from the Kremlin, and visually unattractive, and the Garden Ring itself is somehow cold, lifeless and little conducive to creativity. Many complaints were also expressed in connection with the work of the site dedicated to the BBK: you can’t register, you don’t understand how to search, who is where. And then the DDos attacks began... Well, the main thought that accompanied the preparation for the action was that it was unlikely that it would be possible to collect the required 34 thousand to “close” the ring (especially since it is impossible to truly close it, because no one would urge civilians to block traffic at intersections or stand in tunnels for such a cause): people were tired of the protests, and such “circles” seemed to be rather discouraging. Nevertheless, people slowly prepared, gathered, came to an agreement, and left.

And they came and stood up. It must be said that when the author of these lines was walking from the Smolenskaya metro station on the Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya line to the meeting place with friends and relatives opposite the US Embassy (yes, yes, we came to jackal to McFeller - or whatever one “novice politician” called him) , there weren’t that many people with the notorious white ribbons along the way. “Redenko,” the friends and relatives they met sadly stated. However, when people began to join hands, and people walked, and people walked, it very soon became clear that there were not a few of us at all. And the last doubts about this disappeared when it turned out that almost all cars passing along the Garden Ring honked their horns in greeting. The people sitting in them waved their hands and ribbons to those standing on the sidewalks. As a result, in addition to the “Great White Circle”, another, already third, motor rally for fair elections took place, and it seems to have turned out to be the most successful of the three. Once again, a lot of people showed themselves creatively: in addition to ribbons and balloons, cars were decorated with white roses, polar bears and pandas leaned out of the windows (and somewhere a small polar bear became a link in a human chain on the sidewalk!), and on the cars themselves were slogans like “PUTIN? PUTOFF.” Cyclists, also hung with white symbols, and even trolleybuses of routes “B” and 10 took part in the rally: not only did the majority of passengers wave to the BBK participants, but also the same white ribbons could be seen on the rear-view mirrors.

They say that the ring was closed - of course, with the exception of intersections and tunnels. Those gathered passed the note “The circle is closed” from hand to hand. By the way, one cannot help but quote, following the OpenSpace portal, the text on a laminated white sheet passed from hand to hand: “I am not a leaflet, not a poster, not propaganda. I'm just a little white leaf. I am for fair elections! I bring joy to the people who hand me over) I want to see Moscow I have no legs (please hand me over to the person on the right." So much for the key word - joy (and no vulgarity or excessive solemnity). It would hardly be a great exaggeration to say that on There were smiles on the faces of everyone who gathered on Sadovoe that day. We will remember this.

Of course, it was not entirely without provocations. In some places, provocateurs from pro-Kremlin movements were seen with red hearts on which was written “Putin loves everyone.” They shouted and got in the way. But they were not enough not only for the whole of Sadovoye, but even for any significant part of it. And this slogan is so absurd that it would also suit the opponents of these nice young people. It seems to me that it differs little from the slogan “Freedom for the galley slave!”, which was shown by someone from a passing car. Except he's less witty.

The Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs claims that 11 thousand people gathered for the rally. Representatives of the Citizen Observer organization counted 22 thousand standing in the chain. In fact, it was quite difficult to count those gathered, because some stood in a line (and in some places in two rows), while others were walking along the sidewalks. Add here the participants of the third motor rally. So, it looks like we managed to collect the required 34 thousand. I must say, only now do you realize how big it is, the Garden Ring.

So winter is coming to an end. On the same day, a flash mob “Farewell to the Political Winter” was organized on Revolution Square, which attracted a lot of people, but was again overshadowed by the provocations of irrepressible pro-Kremlin youth. People are seriously preparing for March 4th, and then for March 5th. And whatever happens next, February 26 was not spent in vain. Even if not in the short term, then in the long term.