Three hours without autosaks

A rally against Putin and in support of Navalny in the center of Moscow ended with a spontaneous procession to the Kremlin

Moscow, Tverskaya Street, October 7, 2017. Photo: Evgeny Feldman for the project "This is Navalny"

Several hundred people gathered on October 7, on the birthday of Vladimir Putin, on Pushkinskaya Square in Moscow, to express disagreement with the policy of the authorities. The audience immediately noticed an important difference from previous protests - the lack of auto -zaks on the street and in the yards. Even assumptions were put forward that they were hidden from journalists, but it turned out that they were simply not fitted.

The authorities also decided this time to save on a helicopter, instead of it they adjusted the car of the flowers of the city economic service with the platform on which the camera was installed, and the microphone hung from the platform.

Participants in the protest brought with them “tricolors”, inflatable yellow ducks that became a symbol of corruption, posters with inscriptions: “We are waiting for honest elections 2018”, “Follow the Constitution”, “Free elections”. Many came with badges, umbrellas and other attributes “Navalny 20! 8”.

When asked by journalists why the flag of Russia, the young oppositionist said that "this is the flag of the 1991 democratic revolution, cannot be associated with nothing but freedom."

At the second hour, a rally began. The demonstrators chanted the slogans traditional for such shares “Russia will be free”, “Freedom Navalny”, “Happy Birthday”, “Freedom Political Personal”, “For Fair Elections”, “Power - This is We”, “Down with the King” and “Down with the Tsar”.

Ten minutes after the start of the rally, representatives of the police came with loudspeakers, into which the protesters monotonously began to disperse. “Dear citizens, your action is illegal, please disperse,” the policeman muttered. “We are power here,” the crowd answered him in chorus. “This action is not agreed, you interfere with the passage of other citizens,” the policeman protested weakly. “Down with the power of the Chekists,” the demonstrators retorted.

Several people approached the police and began to explain that the Criminal Code has an article for counteracting peaceful actions, but this statement was left without reaction.

Realizing that the crowd could not be shouted into a mouthpiece, the police took new measures. In the oncoming lane, a car brushed to Pushkinskaya Square drove up on all sides, a scoreboard with a running line was attached to one side of it. “Your action has not been agreed upon by government officials, please disperse,” - at the full power of the speakers came from it.

But by that time the main part of the rally was erased, and the crowd knocked down Tverskaya towards Manezhnaya Square, chanting slogans and leaving traces in the form of white-red stickers sticking to the lamppost. Many passers -by, when the crowd caught up with them, attached their voices to a common roar, but then went about their business.

The police were ready for a spontaneous procession. Along the entire route from Pushkinskaya to Manezhnaya Square, along Tverskaya Street, riot police and fighters of the Russian Guard, who, without applying force, nevertheless prevented the protesters from the route, stood a continuous chain.

A small cork arose in the transition on the Okhotny row, a crowd of curious gathered, and riot police for some time could not decide what to do. Finally, the Omonov Lieutenant Colonel shouted: “Let the street go to the other side, but don’t let it go anywhere else,” and the column flowed to the other side of the street.

It was decided to walk in a circle until the police either let the protesters to the Manezhnaya Square, or begin to arrest people. But, apparently, the security forces had clear instructions, no matter how much the opposition went in a circle, they never arrested anyone.

Around 16:30, when the information was about the fact that the headquarters of Navalny announced the completion of the action, people began to disperse.