"City Hall found a way to petty the opposition"

The Moscow City Hall agreed on a rally following the results of the presidential election on March 5 on Pushkinskaya Square. The authorities are ready to block Tverskaya and use the Novopushkin square, if there are many people. Initially, the organizing committee planned to hold a protest on Lubyanka or Manezhnaya Square, but negotiations with officials came to a dead end. Participants in the rallies "For honest elections" told PublicPost that they think about Pushkin Square.

Harry Kasparov, one of the leaders of "Solidarity":

It seems to me that this is a reasonable form of compromise, although I believed that it was necessary to insist on Lubyanka or Manezhnaya. But it seems to me that today is the need to give a very large number of people to gather for an agreed event in order to avoid provocations, which, quite obviously, prepares power for the fifth number. The main thing that needs to be done on the fifth is to declare that protest actions will continue until the results of illegitimate elections are canceled. Because March 4, we will encounter falsifications that will surpass even December 4th.

Ilya Ponomarev, State Duma deputy from Fair Russia:

My opinion is extremely negative, because I believe that the city hall, on the one hand, apparently, is simply afraid of holding a mass event near the Kremlin, and, in general, the main reason why she does this is this. But at the same time, the mayor's office found a way to finely attack the opposition by the fact that this site, which is not adapted for such a mass event, ends with a great inconvenience for Muscovites, and, accordingly, this is such a wedge between the protesters and the bulk of the townspeople. And the fact that we agreed to this in a situation where our position was both legally and morally flawless, because the Manezhnaya Square does not just require any ceilings, and, moreover, other organizations participate in the Manezhnaya Square - they are resolved, and they have no problems in general - therefore, that we agreed to Pushkinskaya, I believe, is a mistake. They could not agree.

Olga Romanova, journalist, manager of Yandex-Koshelka "rallies" for honest elections ":

My opinion is like a "wallet" (I still look like a "Minister of Finance" at what is happening) - an extremely positive. Since the rally is officially permitted, I can spend money. Because I was in terrible embarrassment, supporting all the movement: I cannot support unauthorized movements - otherwise it will be finances for extremism. Allowed, thank God. Secondly, I-again, as the “Minister of Finance”-I really like the place, because if it is decided to make “Pushkinsky” on the steps of the cinema, this means that we save on stage. And this rally will not cost 2.5-3 million, as usual. I think we can meet less than a million, which pleases me incredibly!

Sergey Aksenov, member of the executive committee of the unregistered "other Russia":

The pros and cons of Pushkinskaya Square are discussed by collaborators and panties. This is the departure from the essence of the issue. And the essence of the issue is not in comfort and not in the technical characteristics of the rally, but in whether it allows us to protest us against ourselves: that is, the opposition asks for permission in power to protest or does not ask. Only that. The rest is secondary. Therefore, I consider the departure to Pushkinskaya exclusively as collaboration, betrayal, cowardice - and many of my epithets on this subject are in reserve. This is a knife in the back. The same as they did with Strategy-31. I have no words.

Boris Akunin, writer, co -founder of the Voter League:

I am for. In general, I am for finding reasonable compromises, and it seems to me that this corresponds to the mood of most Protestants generally. There is a feeling that we took a step forward, there is a feeling that opponents took a step forward. All the same, civil consent is better than a civil war. Pushkin Square is not very convenient, but the police say that they are ready to block the traffic along Tverskaya, if there are a lot of us. So the carriageway will be released. Honestly, I feel a sense of relief, because I, like the majority, were ready to go to Lubyanka with unpredictable consequences, after that the whole story could turn in a completely different direction.

Alexander Belov, one of the leader of the nationalists:

This option was considered. I think that as a gathering point can be used. In general, in fact, wherever they let them gather - normal. Gather and go to the Kremlin. Of course, Manezhnaya, the area of ​​the revolution, Lubyanka - would be more convenient. The personnel is still wider, more. I do not know how the authorities will act on Pushkinskaya: I will have to block Tverskaya, because no one will fit. That's for sure. There will be more people more than it was in Bolotnaya, Sakharov, Yakimanka. Much more. Therefore, the area will be filled, and Tverskaya will be filled, all adjacent yards. Even from the point of view of ensuring security and control for the Moscow City Hall, I do not understand why this place was allocated. This is very inconvenient.

From December 4, the day of elections to the State Duma, protest activity does not subside in Russia. Residents of cities who do not agree with the results of voting and outraged by falsifications and violations, massively go out into the streets.