Navalny came out into public

After serving a sentence of 15 days of arrest, opposition leader Alexei Navalny was released on the morning of May 24. That same evening he arrived on Arbat to meet with his supporters.

Navalny has been expected here for a long time. After the dispersal of the camp on Chistye Prudy and Kudrinskaya Square, there were just over ten protesters left on Arbat. The opposition leaders, who loved Chistoprudny Boulevard so much, no longer entered Old Arbat. Several dozen supporters and ordinary onlookers came to greet blogger Navalny at the Okudzhava monument. People were asking questions. And many questions have accumulated during this time. Many no longer knew what to do next, how to act, whether it was time to finally put forward specific demands, and if it was time, then what exactly. At the same time, Alexey explained to the audience several times that he himself does not consider himself a leader and will not indicate anything. “Guys, since we have developed a new system of decision-making on our own (the people’s assembly, which was held in the camp on Chistye Prudy and Kudrinskaya - PP), let’s carry out this experiment to the end, and let’s not turn it into such a thing that Navalny will come and give guidelines to everyone. I will participate in this camp, I will come here as an ordinary person and as an ordinary person take part in decision-making, but I am not going to give instructions. I don’t need it, you don’t need it. I will concentrate on my own. my usual job is to engage in anti-corruption investigations,” Navalny said.

However, they listened to him precisely as a leader. Alexey joked that he was more popular with those gathered only because he served 15 days and many media outlets wrote about it. “You also have this chance,” he said. At the end of his speech, Alexey thanked the protesters who are still continuing the open-ended public festivities. "You are all very cool. One for all!" - Navalny shouted. "And all for one!" - the crowd echoed.

After Navalny’s speech, informal communication began. Supporters approached him, talked about their everyday life, took pictures and asked for an autograph. “But this guy is great! He didn’t miss a single day of festivities. He sat even in the rain. He came here from Astrakhan!” - someone shouted from the crowd, pointing to a man standing next to Navalny. “Not from Astrakhan, but from St. Petersburg,” the man answered impressively. “By the way, Alexey, I haven’t missed a single day either,” a woman with a white scarf tied around her head addressed Navalny. “Me too!”, “Me too,” voices began to be heard in the crowd. "There are a lot of us here."

“Brother, can I have a word?” an unkempt young man in a dirty cap and a shabby leather jacket made his way to Navalny through the crowd. “Listen, in short. I am a street musician, a guitarist. I play in the passages. Moscow Mayor Sobyanin posted security on Novy Arbat with the motivation that that we are all terrorists, Nazis and punks does not allow us to play.” “So, we need to compose new songs - about the fact that he himself is a scoundrel and a punk,” answered Alexey. “That’s what we’re doing!” the musician rejoiced. “That’s it, I said everything.”

Alexey was asked to go and look around the camp and go to the table where the “local residents” were having lunch. Instead of the usual 5 seconds that take the path from the Okudzhava monument to the bronze table, Navalny walked for almost half an hour: the dense ring of journalists and supporters moved very slowly, everyone wanted to talk to the “leader”. The oppositionist called on those gathered to prepare for a new protest planned for June 12. “Won’t the adoption of a law increasing fines for participation in unauthorized rallies scare people?” — I ask Alexey. “This will not scare anyone and will lead to the fact that more people will come to authorized events, and people will more actively resist the police at unauthorized events, because they will have something to lose. As for fines, then, as a last resort, we will collect money. I am absolutely sure that we will raise money for payments, and those people who chip in for this will hate United Russia 10 times more.” “Do you trust Ksenia Sobchak?” — was a question that worried many of those present. Alexey thought for a bit and joked: “She’s an interesting girl.” “Well, do you have a resource of trust in her?” - the supporters did not let up. “What is this resource? If she asks for a loan of 100 thousand rubles, I will give it. Because I assume that she will be able to return it. And if she tells me... - Alexey thought again for a second. - ... For example, she asks for 200 thousand, then I’ll think about it.” Navalny added that he considers Ksenia a wonderful girl and treats her well, and noted that, rather, she brings great benefit.

Not far from all this excitement stood human rights activist Lyudmila Alekseeva. Surrounded by young people, Alekseeva talked about her experience of participating in folk festivals when, on December 31, 2009, she came to Triumphal Square dressed as the Snow Maiden. “Khrushchev once said that the next generation will live under communism,” Alekseeva said. “Thank God, this did not happen. This generation will live under democracy.” Alekseeva lightly touched the hand of a young man of about twenty and looked into his eyes: “Not the next generation, but yours.”