Pervomaisky crowds

On May 1, three mass events are traditionally held in Novosibirsk. “Official” celebrations under the auspices of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions (with the participation of “United Russia” and administrations of various levels), the demonstration of the opposition and “apolitical” monstration. Opposition demonstrations and rally was attended by a Taiga.info correspondent.

On May 1, three mass events are traditionally held in Novosibirsk. “Official” celebrations under the auspices of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions (with the participation of “United Russia” and administrations of various levels), the demonstration of the opposition and “apolitical” monstration. Opposition demonstrations and rally was attended by a Taiga.info correspondent.

In the past, election, 2011, Novosibirsk oppositionists first announced the "United Demonstration". Together in one column, the Communist Party, “SR”, LDPR, “Patriots of Russia” went. True, the demonstration was not as mass as the organizers wanted - about four hundred people. But on the other hand, she set the “trend” of the subsequent election campaign, during which the most diverse and contradictory opposition united around one task - “to wet” the “batch of crooks and thieves”.

This year, a united demonstration was again announced, which was supposed to start at 11:30 from the Kapital store at the chapel on Krasnoye Prospekt and walk along Kirov Street to GPNTB.

"And where are your 50%?" - “And we were told, three people from the department” on the way to “Capital”, I went through the Square of Lenin, where the “official” event was going on through all the canons. Above the columns of the demonstrators, banners towered, indicating from which enterprise the participants arrived. There were a theater institute, and a pension fund, and management companies.

"And where are your 50%?" - one woman asked the other. "And we were told, three people from the department." A joyful pseudopatriotic music played from the rostrum, people stood with balls, some hid from the cold in the transition of the metro.

Rare athletes also traditionally ran along Lenin Square - a tested way to occupy the largest area of ​​the city with a small number of people.

The "capital" of the people was smaller, but more and more likely. Again there were the Communist Party, LDPR, “SR”, “Patriots” (although they joined the Poputinsky “Popular Front”, everyone else pretended that they forgot about it). The apple was added, represented by the democrats of the 80s. The leader of the Novosibirsk "Yabloko" Oleg Donskoy, unlike the leaders of the branches of other parties, was one of the flags with his own hands.

Young people, many of whom recently, knew how Russian nationalists formed a small group with strange runic symbols. Some put on hats with slots, which caused the indignation of grandmother-communist. “Who are these? Maybe these are fascists? " She asked others. “We guess ourselves,” other communists answered her.

“Who are these? Maybe these are fascists? " - “The Socialist -Revolutionaries' column ourselves, we ourselves, made up the representatives of the Kiosker Coalition. They carried posters, on the one hand, criticizing a new law on restriction of tobacco trading, and on the other hand, with gratitude to the Novosibirsk City Hall for the care of the small business.

At 11:30 the column started off. The communist Gazelle rode ahead, from which slogans such as “our goal - building socialism” and “there is no land for NATO in Russia” came. Judging by the voice, the deputy of the Legislative Assembly Artyom Skatov broadcast from Gazelle.

In my assessment, about 700 people took part in the demonstration. In the square in front of the GPNTB, the demonstrators were already waiting for a cordon of the police, who carefully surrounded the area by turnstiles. Activists of the “sober city” arrived in advance and occupied part of the fountain with the slogan “Beer Corporations kill”. The fact that some participants in the "Kiosker coalitions" brought posters with the inscription "We are against discrimination of the right of kiosks to sell beer and tobacco" did not surprise anyone. Against the backdrop of a large red poster, “fascism defeated - defeat capitalism” organically looked small “equal rights to different businesses”.

The first of May in post -Soviet Russia. It seems that we speak the same language, but no one understands anyone.

Against the backdrop of a large red poster, “fascism won - we will win capitalism” organically looked like a small white “equal rights to different businesses”, the State Duma deputy Anatoly Lokot in his speech touched on NATO bases and the impossibility of a camel to climb into a needle ear (and an opposition candidate to take part in the election of the governor according to a new law). He also congratulated the police, “involuntary participants in our events,” and demanded that the police agree with the organizers to install the barriers “We do not ask to arrange a corral here!”

Vyacheslav Smagin - the head of the LDPR faction in the Legislative Assembly - briefly and deliciously described what the opposition opens against (for example, teachers should not perform the functions of "policemen" and falsify the elections).

Igor Persbaev (“SR”) said that our traditional values ​​are now under blow, and a lot of money is spent on their destruction. It must be recalled that it was Presbaev in the Legislative Assembly that recently raised the question of the Rodina exhibition, as a result of which its holding in the local history museum was prohibited.

The State Duma deputy from the Communist Party, co -owner of the F1 group of companies, Alexander Abalakov, began his speech about the solidarity of workers when I left Pimenov Square.

The spirit of absurdity hung over the city, and it is not a matter of monstance.

Text and photo: Alexey Mazur