Bottom blow

A new political generation in Russia, however, grew up at old sayings that the tops can no longer, but the lower classes did not want, everything expected: what would happen when the economic collapse is stuck? When will the oil become cheaper? When will the people go out on the streets? Well, he gradually began to go out. And what? And nothing!

About a hundred miners of Kingkool in the Rostov region announced a hunger strike . They have not been given a salary since May last year (the past, not the current one!). The company owed its employees about 300 million rubles.

Russia, of course, is an amazing country. Living in it is not that fun, but also not boring. Is there any other country in the world of miners who will work for free for a year? If the Rostov miners began to protest a month after the delay in the salary, they would probably have paid off the debt quickly. But if they suffer a year, then why worry? They suffered a year, tolerate another!

And where else, besides Russia, people are ready to starve themselves when they were deceived and robbed? They are not trying to punish the crook-employer, depriving him of profit. They do not declare a strike. They deprive the food and health of themselves! Unique protest experience.

The notorious riddles of the Russian soul include a naive faith in the good king, Secretary General and president. Shakhters appeal to the supreme power. They are looking for protection from Vladimir Putin. They turned to him a year ago, but to no avail. They say that the local authorities are to blame for everything. Boyars are bad, the king is good.

Krasnodar farmers also say the same. On the evening of August 21 , they went to their tractors to Moscow to get a meeting with the federal authorities. They wanted to "talk about corruption and raider seizures" in the region. A column of 17 tractors and several dozen cars on which about 50 farmers rode, on the afternoon of August 22, the police were blocked by the Rostov Region. 12 people detained and slapped them for 10-15 days of arrest.

There is a warmer election race for the coveted prize - the Shutovsky cap of the deputy of an absolutely incapable, perfectly controlled and completely useless parliament

Farmers who demanded justice exhibited Putin's portraits on their tractors. They put on T -shirts with his images. Demonstrated the loyalty of the supreme power. It did not help. Like 111 years ago, in St. Petersburg, portraits of the tsar and Orthodox icons set in the forefront in the forefront of many thousands did not protect peace demonstrators from soldier's bullets and Cossack checkers. They also wanted to complain to the king about the oppression of the authorities, to give him a petition about working needs. Yes, only Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov on his subjects was to spit: he went to his residence in Tsarskoye Selo, and ordered his subordinates to deal with the protesters.

The Bloody Sunday became a prologue to the first Russian revolution. The protests of farmers and miners, such a prologue, seems to be not. First of all, because protesters require justice for themselves, and not for everyone. That is, because their requirements are economic, not political.

And what about politicians, opposition? They are not up to it now, they have elections ahead. The hours of graphics are painted, the costs are spaced according to estimates. There is a warmer election race for the coveted prize - the Shutovsky cap of the deputy of the absolutely incapable, perfectly controlled and completely useless parliament. This opposition would regard the blow to the system from below as a gift of fate. This opposition would combine its political calculations with the discontent of farmers and miners. But then - a real opposition ...

Meanwhile, these politically naive, poorly organized and strategically ill -conceived protests have recently become more frequent. On July 13, more than a hundred construction workers blocked the exits from the construction of the Zenit Arena stadium in St. Petersburg. The builders complained that they have not been issued for two months for two months. On July 29, a protest rally took place in Orel at the walls of the Dormash plant. Several dozens of workers demanded payments for salary debts - a total of more than 40 million rubles. On August 29, in Togliatti, former employees of the AvtoVAZAGAGAT enterprise blocked the federal highway M5, also demanding to pay them salary debts - more than 60 million rubles.

These actions were unsuccessful with success. Neither regional nor federal authorities take into account public interests. This is another life for them - alien, incomprehensible and hostile. And there is always a standard answer to social speeches in power: riot police, courts, national guard. The wider the protests front, the tougher the repressions will be. The authorities will stop only if she does not have enough resources to suppress public discontent. If each policeman will have a hundred protesters. Then, perhaps, the police will think about the meaning of life.

But this is unlikely to happen until the protesters demand salaries for themselves, and not freedom for everyone.

Alexander Podrabinek - human rights activist and journalist, host of the Radio Liberty program "Dejavu"

Opinions expressed under the heading "Law" may not reflect the point of view of the editorial office