No one understands how the action will pass on April 21
No one understands how the action will pass on April 21. Will the center block? Why is it held on a weekday? The main questions for the organizers and to the authorities
Supporters of Alexei Navalny will hold an inconsistent action on April 21 in support of the politician who is in the colony. In the center of St. Petersburg, they have already begun to exhibit fences, students are threatened with expulsion for participating in a rally, police officers are circled in January protests.
The organizers submitted a notification of the rally, but the authorities of St. Petersburg never coordinate the shares of Navalny's supporters. The three previous protests in St. Petersburg were accompanied by record and very rigid detentions, as well as a complete blocking of the city center.
The rally is organized in a short time - and this raises many questions among the townspeople that the organizers do not answer. How to react to what is happening, it is also unclear. Why is the promotion held on a weekday? Will the center overlap? "Paper" tried to answer the main questions on the eve of the rally on April 21.
The text mentions the Fund for the fight against corruption. According to the Media Law , “Paper” is obliged to report that the FBK was recognized as a foreign agent. At the moment, several publications, activists and human rights activists, as well as a number of well -known NGOs, are included in the list of foreign agents.
Why was the rally announced again suddenly? Winter inconsistent actions in St. Petersburg were accompanied by record detentions - the most massive in the modern history of the city, as well as clashes with security forces and large -scale ceilings of the streets. After them, the supporters of Alexei Navalny announced that new rallies would be held in the spring. On March 23, they launched a site with a map on which they offered to report their readiness to participate in the new rally. The action was intended to announce when 500 thousand people are registered on the site. At the same time, news appeared about the deterioration of the state of health of Navalny. The politician announced a hunger strike to achieve medical care. In the management of the FSIN, his condition was called satisfactory. On April 15, the attending doctors of Navalny reported that the tests indicate the development of renal failure from him. On April 19, Navalny was transferred from IR No. 2 of the Vladimir Region to the hospital IR No. 3. The FBK said that this was a transfer to the “same grave colony”. Prisoners who underwent treatment in this colony really have repeatedly reported torture. On April 18, Leonid Volkov announced that the action will be held before the collection of half a million signatures. By that time, there were more than 450 thousand registrations on the site (unknown people on April 16 merged the database with users registered on the site). More than 58 thousand registered in St. Petersburg.
Why on a weekday?
Supporters of Navalny made it clear that the action is held in a short time due to a worsening state of a politician. “Events develop too rapidly and too badly - you can’t wait and postpone more,” said the director of the FBK Ivan Zhdanov. Volkov and Zhdanov pointed out another factor: the prosecutor’s demand to recognize the FBK and the headquarters of Navalny with extremist organizations. “If we don’t answer this in any way, then there is no doubt that the court will satisfy the lawsuit - and very quickly,” Zhdanov said. Nevertheless, why the environment is chosen, supporters of Navalny do not explain. Zhdanov only said that three days before the action are necessary to disseminate information about it. Almost all large protests in St. Petersburg took place on the weekend. Of the latest examples on weekdays, one can only recall a spontaneous protest against the arrest of Alexei Navalny on February 2, in which less than 1 thousand people participated. In addition, on April 21, Vladimir Putin will make an annual appeal to the Federal Assembly. Whether the action was deliberately appointed on the same day is unknown. In their statements, supporters of Navalny Putin did not mention. However, in Moscow they intend to hold the action on Manezhnaya Square - Putin will perform a few hours before the rally in the Manege. According to some experts, in this way the opposition wants to emphasize that he opposes the president and his course, and also show the contrast between those who will “move from Manezhnaya Square on the limousines”, and those who leave in the tanks.
Why Palace Square?
Palace, as the venue of the action in St. Petersburg, was chosen as the central square of the city. The regional headquarters focused on the decision of Volkov and Zhdanov. Although during the protest processions, the participants tried to reach Palace Square more than once, large rallies are usually not held there. It is easy to block the palace, and usually do it in advance. So, as the “paper” found out, in the evening of April 19, the first fences have already appeared there. During past shares, fences, communal equipment, and auto -zaks were used for ceilings. The security forces themselves also often form living fences. Even if in some way the protesters manage to gather at the palace, it will be difficult to get out of her, which will easily detain the audience. The Petersburg headquarters of Navalny “Paper” said that they would navigate the situation, as during past shares. Now the action plan is not ready to voice there. On January 31, the procession was planned to be launched at Nevsky, but the avenue was blocked - the action was transferred to Pionerskaya Square an hour before its start.
Will the organizers do something to protect the detainees?
The Petersburg headquarters of Navalny “Paper” reported that they would help the detainees with payments and “if possible” provide legal protection. In most cases, the detainees at the protest are faced with a fine or administrative arrest of up to 15 days. Cases of criminal cases are single, but not excluded. Most often they will be brought under an article on violence against government officials, and even a slight impetus can calculate violence. Two Petersburgers received a conditional term for the push of the security forces on the January actions. Here is a memo for the detainees.
Will the center block again?
Whether the center of St. Petersburg will be blocked, as it was February 6, is unknown. Then, however, this was also done without warning. However, the “paper” has already noticed on the sidelines of roads in the city center the folded signs of repair work, but there is no confirmation that on April 21 they are used for ceilings. It is not entirely clear which department coordinates the restrictions. For the collapse on February 6, at first, no one took responsibility: Smolny and the Ministry of Internal Affairs shifted it to each other. Only a month later, the Ministry of Internal Affairs admitted that they were responsible for the ceilings. This time, the Committee on the legality redirected the issues of journalists about the restrictions on the Palace to the police, the Ministry of Internal Affairs stated that this is the competence of Smolny. The “Paper” sent a request to the transport committee to find out whether the traffic restrictions in the center of St. Petersburg are assumed on April 21, but at the time of publication of the material, I have not yet received a response. In winter, during the protest “for technical reasons”, the nearest metro stations were closed. Not far from Palace Square are Admiralteyskaya, Nevsky Prospekt and Gostiny Dvor. It is not known whether to wait for their closure this time, but this opportunity cannot be excluded.
How will the police act?
Judging by the latest shares - tough. The protesters were pissing, crowded with shields, poured to the ground, beaten with batons and electric shockers, clashes between the security forces and participants in the rally occurred. According to 47news, after the January rallies, the St. Petersburg police received several hundred electric shockers of the AIR-107U model, which are characterized by increased power. The new model “shoots” with conductive wires, which cling to the clothes “harpums”. The battle range is 4.5 meters. In a shocker, you can put a light -school cartridge to stun a person. On the eve of the rally, the police are also conducting “preventive” work. The head of Navalny’s headquarters Irina Fatyanova and his former coordinator Denis Mikhailov is now under arrest. The coordinator "Postcards" Sergey Kuzin was detained. According to the Detention of St. Petersburg, the security forces bypassed those detained during previous shares and give them warnings on the illegality of participation in the new rally. The Ministry of Internal Affairs also published a warning against participation in a rally for all Russians.
“Paper” draws attention to the risks associated with the conduct of an inconsistent action, and asks you to be attentive and protect yourself.
Alexey Navalny is now leading a hunger strike due to the fact that he is refused medical care. He complains of back pain and leg, numbness of the limbs, temperature and cough. On April 15, the attending doctors of Navalny made an open letter. They asked the director of the FSIN to allow them to inspect the politician. According to them, Navalny develops renal failure.
After the supporters of Navalny announced the next rally, the head of the St. Petersburg headquarters was arrested, the prosecutor's office threatened the participants with criminal cases. Read that this is known.
Watch how the center of St. Petersburg looks a day before the inconsistent rally in support of Navalny. Read who and why went to the January rallies and whether people believe in their effectiveness.