Alexey Roshchin: "Two criminals"

“Navalny, they write , is going to debate with Girkin-Strelkov; an excellent decision from a PR point of view! No, this guy definitely has a nose for it. The resonance started immediately, even before any debate; and this is the art of finding such a sparring partner.” partner, so that the public would go into convulsions just from the name alone,” writes the political strategist on LiveJournal .

“The progressive Facebook public, naturally, is already in full indignation - why, they say, debate with this Girkin, the prison is crying for him, he’s a war criminal, etc. It’s funny that righteous indignation at Navalny, who “once again buried his reputation,” is even blazing despite the fact that, according to the very logic of the debate, Navalny will speak AGAINST Girkin. Why does the public immediately have such rejection? After all, maybe Navalny started all this in order to make a chop out of Strelkov, and at the same time publicly, to an audience of millions, showing the world his oratory skills, to debunk the very idea of ​​the “Russian World”?

The answer, unfortunately, says a lot about our “progressive public” itself. Many are indignant because they are disgusted by the very idea of ​​CONVERSATION with an “ideological opponent.” They don't want to talk - they want to ban. Progress in this case turns out to be somewhat too totalitarian.

Well, projections, of course. Since the background is totalitarian, none of our progressives, of course, believes in any kind of “debunking”, beating or oratory in general, be it Navalny or anyone else. “No one will convince us of anything - THAT MEANS that you can’t convince the stupid “vatniks” and supporters of the “Russian World” of anything!” And therefore, they say, it is necessary “as in decent houses” - to use default figures: do not name black and white, do not invite or mention Girkin-Strelkov, forget about the “Russian World”, as if it never existed.

However, the world of real polityk is, alas, not the sterile world of Facebook, in which you will never see those whom you have banned; Fortunately, Navalny understands this. Debates with Chubais, debates with Girkin are an excellent choice for a person who collects votes not on Facebook, but in Russia.

Well, as for whether Girkin is a criminal... A criminal, of course. Both according to Ukrainian and Russian laws. Like Navalny, however.

History says that there are two ways to get rid of the stigma of a criminal: by abolishing either the relevant law or the state that established this law. This is what the two criminals will debate about.”