Crocodiles on barricades

Maxim Reznik, “Apple”: “The crocodile can already be considered one of the symbols of the opposition, but, in any case, not the only one. On May 26, the White Tape action is being prepared for us, after it a white color can become symbolic. Life will show what symbols will withstand the test of time. ”

In St. Petersburg, even reptiles do not agree

The Petersburg opposition had the first original symbolism. So original that it is unlikely to borrow it somewhere except St. Petersburg. But in our city, where in the last century a large crocodile walked along the “streets”, this symbolism at home.
Any self -respecting color revolution should differ from other protest movements at least in color. In St. Petersburg, green color is ready to splash out on the banners of the opposition. And the crocodile is currently trying the role of the zoological carrier of the green wave. There is nothing surprising in this: a crocodile is a native Petersburger, he can ...


Green victim of repression
For the first time, a crocodile as an active participant in the opposition movement showed himself on the April march of disagreements. After forceful overclocking, the opposition had several activists reached Smolny in order to transfer the rally resolution to the governor. But in their way, riot police stood up, and then the resolution was attached to the back to an inflatable crocodile. After that, the parliamentary was left on neutral territory. A light breeze blew, and the crocodile headed towards Smolny. However, the police did not stand on ceremony with the green revolutionary, fearlessly detained him (he is inflatable or not inflatable - the order for all) and put in a car zak.
A reasonable question arises: what did the crocodile do at a rally of disagreement?
The answer to it is given by Grigory Solominsky from the Association of Small Business, which, with the twin of the detained crocodile in his hands, became the nail of the program at a rally of those who disagree on May 1:
- The crocodile is great for the role of the symbol of the St. Petersburg opposition. According to Dostoevsky, he ate bureaucrats in the passage. At the Chukovsky crocodile swallowed Barmaley. But since the crocodile was kind, he released the robber at the request of the children. "How glad I am, how glad I am to go to Leningrad!" - exclaimed Barmaley, came to us and settled in Smolny. Now the time has come to remind the "bloodthirsty, merciless robber" that you need to behave decently. And then, at least the first crocodile and detained, see how many of them today! (At the Pervomaisian rally of inflatable reptiles there were already three pieces. - A. B.) Give a crocodile revolution!
There is no doubt that the crocodiles will visit the next action of the “disagreed” - on the City Day on May 27. So, the opposition (at least in St. Petersburg) has every chance to finally gain its color. The color of grass, leaves, ecologists and crocodiles - green.

"It is forbidden to speak in Turkish!"
The crocodile “disagreed” is, first of all, the Crocodile Chukovsky, in the second - Assumption and a little Dostoevsky. The approach itself - an appeal to the literary field - will not seem strange at all if you look at the social composition of the opposition. First of all, this is the intelligentsia and the protest groups of the population, which the authorities forced to go out onto the streets, leaving another opportunity to speak out (pensioners, deceived equity carriers, independent carriers, a small business association). However, for the most part, these are also intellectuals. (The “disagreements” themselves have repeatedly paid attention to the fact that after their shares there are no pieces of paper or an empty bottle on the sidewalks.) These are people who are accustomed to looking at the world through the prism of literature; It is fundamentally important for them to make Smolny play on their field - on the field of Russian culture, where officials have no chance. What can be answered, say, to such a passage from the Crocodile Chukovsky:

“City ran up:
- What kind of noise? What kind of howl?
How dare you walk here
In Turkish to speak?
Crocodiles are forbidden to walk here. ”

Is this not a march of disagreements? Unless the “disagreements” have not yet swallowed the riot police “with boots and a shackle”, but here it is not not the Nota Bene ... In addition, the Crocodile of Chukovsky - the creation of absolutely Petersburg, flesh from the flesh of this city.
If you recall the charming, pathologically good crocodile Gena, then immediately after Cheburashka, their implacable opponent Shapoklyak pops up in memory, which also causes certain associations in the St. Petersburg context.
Another thing, will opponents of the “color infection” want to speak the language of the intelligentsia? In the presence of riot police and friendly ultra-right ones, something is not very believed. But the PR campaign is easily on the topic of “frenzy hires of Islamic fundamentalism” (green, as you know, is also the color of Islam) or something simple like: “crush the reptile”.
Whether the green crocodile will be a symbol of the Russian opposition will or not - even such prophets in their fatherland as the “perspicacious” Leontyev and the “omniscient” Pavlovsky will not be able to predict. But there is an underlying sensation that it is time! And then it is boring to interrupt with only orange scarves.

Andrzej Belarusian

Direct speech:

Olga Kurnosova, OGF: “The idea with a crocodile is good. Of course, options are possible, but if people like it - why not? Although the crocodile, of course, is not such a symbol to place it, for example, on the flag. It is rather an allegory showing that the authorities are afraid of even a rubber toy, i.e. Even the most harmless protest, and reacts completely crazy. So, we can say, a crocodile is a symbol of the madness of the authorities. ”
Andrei Dmitriev, in the recent past, the leader of the St. Petersburg branch of the forbidden NBP: “I do not think that the crocodile can be called a symbol. This is rather a joke of the postmodern plan, in the spirit of Kurekhin: Lenin-Grib. Our symbols will be more serious - it is too sad and even tragic what has been happening recently in the country and in the city to close in parodies.

Traffic light of velvet revolutions
Ukrainian orange, Georgian pink ("Revolution of Roses"), Belarusian blue ("jeans revolution") - and now the Russian green. This color organically flows into the palette of color revolutions of the post -Soviet space.
Orange, like red, refers to warm ones. The observation of this color increases the heartbeat, associated (in addition to revolutions) primarily with spice, piquancy, wakes up thoughts about joy and bright sun. Excess orange seems impudent and arrogant, and an excess of arrogance is vulgar and cheap. Perhaps that is why most of those who sympathize with the “orange business” are not dressed in the clothes of this color entirely, like road workers, but use one accessory: scarf, badge, ball or construction helmet.
The most aesthetic can be considered the Georgian "revolution of roses." Pink color - on the one hand, a shade of red, that is, warm and even aggressive. On the other hand, this is the most delicate, “feminine” shade of red. Thus, pink - a mixture of determination and non -violence, the best choice for a velvet revolution.
In contrast to the two previous, the blue "Belarusian" color is cold. He does not call for immediate actions, on the contrary, this color is confident, thoughtful, "seriously and for a long time." However, the wide spread of inexpensive denim clothing, traditionally painted blue, gave it a shade of informality. The term “jeans revolution” indicates an interest in protest by youth and suggests that the Belarusian opposition is not going to immediately take power into its own hands, as it was in Georgia and Ukraine. This is not a revolution, but the work "for the future."
The green color of Russian protest in most of its shades is reliable, soothing. - That is, like blue, not striving to turn the world upside down. This is the color of the spring update - but not revolutionary, but consistent, evolutionary. We must not forget about the environmental connotation of this color. Green - the color of the defense, not an attack. Protection that is expensive: nature, human dignity, freedom.
Therefore, its toothy carrier - a crocodile is the best green color to the “inept” green color.