People in helmets

Valery Panyushkin - about the detentions on Tverskaya

Valery Panyushkin photo: Olga Pavlova

I would like not to be mistaken, not to be deceived in this first impression. But it seems to me that for the first time in a long time, anti -corruption rallies, which were swinging in Russia, were not fierce either by the demonstrators or from law enforcement officers. Six hundred demonstrators are detained, but, it seems, without sadism. And in some cities they did not touch at all.

A hundred times in different countries of the world I saw this game. The authorities do not seem to authorize a rally, citizens still go to the rally, and the police of citizens as if delayed a little, but without atrocities, without bitterness, they will hold a little in the department, and they will release it. In America, in Italy, in the UK - observed and even participated a hundred times.

This ability of the police to see people in demonstrators seems extremely important to me. No less important is the ability of demonstrators to consider police officers.

In the sports club where I go, I have a comrade. He is a riot police fighter. We often deal with together and often stand against each other in boxing sparring. Sparring is such a thing that it is very noticeable whether your partner is cruel or good -natured, honest or right. So, my partner, a riot police fighter, is certainly not cruel and honest.

The ability of the police to see people in demonstrators seems extremely important to me

Once in the locker room, we talked about why, here, here, in the gym, we treat each other well, but if I take the slogan in my hands and should we put on a helmet - we become enemies. I asked:

- If you need to disperse me, will you blow me a stick with a stick?

My comrade smiled:

-Well, I'll somehow disperse you carefully.

Acceleration of demonstrators on Pushkinskaya Square Photo: Sergei Karpukhin/Reuters/Pixstream

And both of us laughed.

And now I'm not talking about the content of the rally. And about the fact that people on the other side of the shields and on this side are the same people. We lie in the same hospitals, our children go to the same schools, we have one sky above our heads, common water in the tap and general lies on TV.

While politicians specify us, if we would have to understand and harden this on both sides of the police cordon.