Student unrest

Graduates and students of the journalism faculty of St. Petersburg State University continue to actively advocate in defense of their dean Marina Shishkina, who entered into an open dispute with the powerful rector of the university. Every day this week there are single pickets along the building of the Twelve Colleges from 12 to 14 o'clock, which should attract the attention of the university community, the media and both Russian almighty rulers.

Members of the initiative group, created to support Marina Shishkina, submitted applications for a series of pickets to the administration of Vasilyevsky Island within the prescribed period. But they received a refusal with wording like: “You will interfere with drivers” and “Everything must first be agreed upon with the University.”
The activists did not have the slightest illusion about the legality of these grounds, but just in case, they decided to hold single pickets: 3-5 people with posters stand along the building every day starting Monday.
The demands on the students’ posters indicate two main aspirations: to call on the leadership of the University for dialogue (“SPbU is a place for discussion”, “NMC (obviously Nikolai Mikhailovich Kropachev - Ed.), fulfill our charter”) and to draw attention to what is happening to the leadership of the All-Russian (“Dmitry Anatolyevich, help!”, “Vladimir Vladimirovich, help!”).
The action evokes a lively response from the university fraternity: students and teachers pay attention, and, moreover, treat the picketers quite positively. But the same cannot be said about university leaders: there has been no official reaction from the university to the student protest (as a sign of which, the picketers even taped their mouths with black tape).
But it was semi-official: on Monday, shortly after the start of the first picket, an unknown person stuck up to 3rd year journalism student Anatoly Buzinsky, who was holding a poster “Nikolai Kropachev - gravedigger of St. Petersburg State University.” Which, according to the logic of law enforcement officers, turned a single picket almost into a rally. Anatoly Buzinsky was detained and sent to court on the same day - the trial was transferred to his place of residence. Despite this, Anatoly continues to participate in pickets.

Andrzej BELOWRANIN

Direct speech
Yuri Asotov, graduate of the Faculty of Journalism of St. Petersburg State University, member of the initiative group:
— I know Marina Anatolyevna Shishkina well as a teacher, I listened to her lectures. She is a creative, proactive, strong-willed person - and most importantly, she is always open and ready for dialogue. Sincerely shows interest in the problems and questions that students have. What’s especially impressive is that she tries to resolve any issues in the most transparent way possible. So what is happening now - an attempt to discuss the problems of the University publicly - is absolutely characteristic of her.