Everything was politicized, but I wanted a holiday

Ilya Yashin still managed to hold the "Day of Free Elections." Reporting Pavel Merzlikin

In Moscow on December 24 (on the marching anniversary of the largest rally for honest elections in 2011), the "Day of Free Elections" was still held. The action of deputies of the Krasnoselsky district was called upon to tell Muscovites about the upcoming presidential election and demand their honest conduct. The promotion in different formats has tried to achieve the last two weeks. The city hall announced the holiday outlawed and warned of possible detentions. At the last moment, the head of the Council of Deputies of the Krasnoselsky district, Ilya Yashin, announced the “Day of Free Elections” by a meeting of citizens and signed an appropriate order. As a result, the action passed peacefully and even outgrew into a small procession. About how it was, says the correspondent of Medusa Pavel Merzlikin.

The epic with the coordination of the "Day of Free Elections" continued until December 24. In the morning on the day of the action, the workers arrived at the Lermontovsky Square, at the place of the holiday: under the supervision of deputies of the Krasnoselsky district, they had to collect the scene and deploy field kitchen. However, the police, which the night before, cordoned off most of the entrances to the Lermontovsky square, did not allow work.

In response to this, the head of the Council of Deputies of the Krasnoselsky district, Ilya Yashin, announced that the format of the "Day of Free Elections" was changing: instead of the district holiday, which the Moscow City Hall announced illegal, it will be held in the form of a meeting of citizens. Yashin signed an appropriate order and emphasized that by law he had the right to hold it without any approvals. The metropolitan government did not agree with this: the head of the regional security department, Vladimir Chernikov, called the next attempt by Yashin to conduct the action “provocation” and warned that “the police would act clearly in accordance with the law”.

Despite the warnings of the authorities, at about 14:00, an hour before the start of the action, about 20 people gathered near the monument to Lermontov in the square; These were mainly young people about 18-20 years old, who divided into several circles and began to discuss the news about the officialnomination of the founder of the Corruption Fund of Alexei Navalny in the president.

- No, well, if it had not been put forward, it would not be elections, but one visibility.

- In general, I think that the whole opposition should nominate only one candidate against Putin. So that there was a second round right away.

The organizers called not to provoke the police and bring flowers to the action instead of political paraphernalia - however, here and there the icons and stickers of the presidential campaign of Navalny flashed. “This is just part of my appearance. I came here for a holiday, not a rally, ”one of the young people with the Navalny 2018 sticker on a black coat explained to reporters. Other protesters waved Russian flags, some tricolor were drawn on his cheeks. Only a couple of middle -aged participants in the action came with flowers. A beautiful bouquet to the monument to Lermontov was brought, for example, 80-year-old Muscovite Vladimir Vasilievich; He said that “the Russians are not afraid of anyone” and therefore will go to protest promotions.

By two o’clock in the afternoon, all entrances to the Lermontovsky square were open. This was achieved by the deputy of the Krasnoselsky district, Peter Tsarkov, who persuaded the police to unlock the square and not detain anyone for shares. The police simply stood along the edges of Lermontovskaya Square and calmly watched how it was filled with the people.

About three hours, when the action was supposed to begin, about 500 people gathered at the monument to Lermontov. There were few residents of the Krasnoselsky district among them. Some of them complained that the event, conceived as a district holiday, eventually turned into a political one. “Everyone was politicized, but I wanted a holiday for us local residents,” a woman of about 55, who was presented to Natalia, explained to Medusa. Her older companion agreed with her and complained that Yashin could not organize "no competitions and prizes." Other residents of the district who came to the square were less skeptical. “I did not know about the action, I just looked out the window and saw that there were a lot of cops. I decided to go out to see what this is happening, ”said Mikhail, who emphasized that he supported the requirements of honest elections.

Citizens who are not related to the Krasnoselsky district stated that they came to the action out of a sense of protest. “I do not live here, but I just came to express my protest. Against everything that happens in our country. I think everyone understands what elections await us. I call these elections a reassignment. And I am ready for the fact that today they can detain me for my position, ”a man of about fifty told reporters, who introduced himself as a Gennady.

“Now they will come and lead us,” the older opposition, who were lost in the circle, discussed their prospects.

“Well, nothing, the last time they took me very carefully to the autozak,” the woman of about sixty said smiling. Behind her stood schoolchildren with Russian flags.

The opponents of Yashin came to the action. The former municipal deputy from Zamoskvorechye Igor Brumel, leaning on the cane, loudly said that in the last elections he was bypassed by "just the same irresponsible as Yashin." His companion in a blue down jacket quietly added that if the opposition come to power, "nothing will remain from Russia." Exactly at 15:00, Brumel announced that Yashin did not appear on his action: "They deceived us again."

Ilya Yashin himself at that time talked with the police who met him near the house to recall that his action was not agreed. Nevertheless, the police did not detain Yashin - and with a delay of ten minutes he still appeared in the Lermontovsky square. The Day of Free Elections began, more than a thousand people stood around the head of the Council of Deputies of the Krasnoselsky District.

The action lasted about an hour. Yashin in the loudspeaker reminded the whole story of the coordination of the “ Day of Free Elections ”, spoke about the activities of deputies of the Krasnoselsky district, called to enroll in election observers and called Putin the “main political corruption”. However, only part of those present heard his words well: for all the steel, the police drowned out the performance, every couple of minutes they announced to Megafon that the action was not agreed and asked to release the road for passers -by. However, they did not dare to detain anyone even after the Scandrations of “Putin - Thief!”, “Sobyanin Down!” And "We are power here!" Meanwhile, women of middle -aged women with tablets in their hands moved through the crowd: introducing themselves to VTsIOM employees, they interviewed those gathered about impressions of the protest campaign; The conversations were recorded on the recorder.

Alexei Navalny did not come to the square, who was “stuck” due to the submission of documents in the Central Election Commission. Toward the end of the meeting, Yashin said that the police would most likely delay him on the way to the house. Therefore, as soon as the organizer announced the end of the “Free Election Day” and moved along Kalanchevskaya Street, several hundred people went together with him.

- Where are we going? - asked at the end of the procession.

- And who would know. If they delay, say: "Everyone went and we went."

In the head, the columns also did not really understand what the purpose of the procession is; Someone asked about this at Yashin himself. “I'm going home,” the politician reacted briefly. After walking along Kalanchevskaya with an unstable chant “this is our city”, the crowd wrapped it on a large Spasskaya. There they were caught up by a car carrier. The procession also accompanied a dozen police officers - they did not allow people to go to the roadway.

“Yes, I haven’t returned home for a long time,” Yashin grinned. On this moment, on this moment they joked that the opposition could arrange with the guards the “legendary inspection”.

The townspeople brought Yashin to the entrance of the house in Dokuchaeva Lane and thanked him for the action with the chanting "Well done!" In response, Yashin thanked them for not allowing him to detain him after the action. “The police, despite the direct threats to disperse the action, eventually refrained from arrests and at the last moment unlocked the square. Think about: the security forces and officials forbade the action as soon as we could, and in the end they gave us to get together where we wanted, and to say freely what we consider necessary, ”Yashin said according to the results of the action, calling it“ the most important step towards restoring the legal rights of local self -government ”. At the same time, it is already known that an administrative protocol for an unauthorized action was drawn up for it: the Ministry of Internal Affairs once again emphasized that the event was illegal. According to official police data, there were only 300 people on it (Medusa counted from 1000 to 1,500 participants).

The people who left the square looked satisfied and called the "Day of Free Elections" "a little victory" over the mayor and the police. The police themselves, who did not have to detain anyone, also seemed to look satisfied. One of the patrol cars that accompanied the crowd to Yashin’s house, after the end of the action, drove up to the company protesters: looking out of the car, the police started a friendly conversation about the causes of the action. Citizens in response smiled and wanted a "good ending to the shift."

Pavel Merzlikin