The reaction to the light

The opposition plans a flash mob with flashlights. The instant response of the authorities: the vile West wants to blind naive Russians. In general, we will forbid to shine in the evenings

By the day of all lovers, people can go to their own yards, turn on flashlights on mobile devices and lift in the form of a heart - in the support of Alexei Navalny and all Russian political enthusiasts. This seemingly quite harmless action caused a wave of indignation among the Russian authorities: the presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova and the Vice Speaker of the State Duma, Peter Tolstoy, had already spoke about it.

Maria Zakharova believes that the FBK campaign ( the organization is included in the list of “foreign agents.” - Ed. ) With flashlights is organized under the influence of the West. The journalists of Echo of Moscow asked the representative of the Foreign Ministry if she believes that it was NATO members who prompted the Russian opposition to the idea of ​​holding a flash mob. To the question of Zakharova answered this way: “Have you been interested in how the preparation of some events in other countries from the United States, NATO, Brussels structures is being prepared? In the know? No? There are flowers, ribbons, in different ways ... very funny, you can laugh. The colors are very popular in advance, symbolism, hashtags.

Have you forgotten how the Georgian parliament entered the roses in their hands? It would be very funny from the outside if we did not know how it would end. ”

The “hand of the West”, in the political protest proposed by Navalny’s associates, was also seen by the deputy chairman of the State Duma Peter Tolstoy. In his opinion, a flash mob with flashlights is an attempt to shake the situation from the inside with street actions, "relying on pro -Western elites and youth sitting in social networks, trying to deprive us of history." Tolstoy also compared the action with the actions of loser leverage during the blockade of Leningrad.

“Calls to shine with lanterns in the dark. In fact, this is not a sweet action about love. This is not just an attempt to mobilize youth. This is such a color technology [Gina] Sharpa. And in general, this is a tracing paper from the actions of loser leaflers during the blockade of Leningrad, when they illuminated the targets of German aviation with lanterns. All scenarios of non -unified overthrow of power have long been described. One of them is trying to implement in Russia today, ”said the vice speaker at the Duma meeting.

Navalny himself, according to Tolstoy, acts on the "strategy of the West", which means that he is a "traitor to the homeland" and "Internet Vlasov".

Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not answer the question of journalists about whether the Russians will be able to go to the yards or whether it will be regarded as participation in unauthorized protests. But he stated that the perpetrators in violation of the law during shares will be held accountable. What exactly will be considered a violation of the law, access to the yards or the inclusion of flashlights, Peskov did not specify.

“We will not play with anyone, but, of course, all our law enforcement officers will be held accountable in case of violation of the law,” the presidential spokesman summed up.

The State Duma deputy from the Krasnoyarsk Territory and a member of United Russia, Yuri Shvytkin, like Peskov, announced a possible punishment for the use of flashlights in the courtyards of residential buildings.

“If you simulate the situation that there will be so many lanterns, this, of course, will be uncomfortable towards residents in the same courtyard and house. All these flashlights, all these actions, people come from work tired, they need to relax, and not look into the light in their windows from the side of the lanterns. We must see how the situation will pass and investigate the issue. We should not, based on one sneeze, draw conclusions. But, of course, this situation requires revision and, possibly, making any initiatives in this matter: either on the administrative or on the legislative line. We will never allow us to rock the boat, destabilize the situation, ”Schvytkin told the Rise.

The lawyer of “Team 29” Artem Kutlovsky believes that the participants of the action can really bring to administrative responsibility, for example, referring to coronaviral restrictions. According to the lawyer, based on the current judicial practice, a violation of sanitary rules in relation to citizens who went to their yards to fifteen minutes on the phone can easily be established.

“If the audience walked on the lawns or local grandmothers complained that citizens were hindered by their movement, access to housing, it was difficult for someone to drive-certificates of this can be used to impose the“ administrative, ”Kutlovsky believes.

Political scientist Alexander Kynev said that the main goal of the action was to take people so that they did not feel that the campaign to support Alexei Navalny has to naught: “A pause needs to be filled with something and, if possible, filling it with something safe, because it is obviously not ready to go to other public actions due to seasonality and due to the strict actions of the authorities.

The second goal is an informational occasion to write the press. It was necessary to find a new form that would ensure the information presence, would show activists and the authorities that the campaign continues, and would be safe at the same time. So they found a flash mob option with flashlights. He does not solve any other problem other than the three voiced. It is impossible to calculate its effectiveness. If public actions can still be somehow evaluated by density, by placement on the streets, to calculate mass, to understand how many people were there, then it is impossible to find the number of flashlights in the yards physically, respectively, and the effectiveness of this action cannot be measured by anything. ”

Kynev considers the reaction of the authorities to the action stupid. According to him, the more absurd the reaction of officials will be, the more successfully the action will be and the better it will be for the headquarters of Navalny.