A thousand carnations

Users X (former Twitter) raised more than 100 thousand rubles for flowers for the grave of Navalny. The collection organizers do not plan to dwell on this

Four days have passed since Alexei Navalny's funeral. During this time, the cross on his grave completely disappeared under the flowers from people who came to say goodbye to the politician and pay tribute to him. Every day, people bring more and more bouquets, and users X (former Twitter) brought a thousand cloves from those who could not personally come to the cemetery.

Novyevropa talked with a participant in the collection of money for flowers about how Navalny was remembered and why people continue to bring bouquets to his grave.

"Taken all carnations"

On March 1, one of the users X wrote that she was going to go to the Borisov cemetery on March 4 and lay flowers to the grave of Alexei Navalny.

“If you want me to put flowers from you, write in a personal, I will order a bouquet on Sunday. I’ll go by car, so I am ready to accept any number of colors from you, ”she said.

By the next day, users of the social network have already raised funds for 100 carnations, the idea of ​​raising “as a sign of infinite infinity of 888 pieces” appeared quite quickly. Many people regarded this as "the opportunity to transfer flowers to Alexei, if you are not in Moscow."

In a conversation with the Novo-Europe, one of the gathering participants said that the idea belongs not to her, but to the other organizer:

“I think she was guided by the fact that there is a great emotional request to ensure that people could be involved in good and feel that they are not alone. For my part, I accidentally saw her collection on Twitter, wrote (and to be honest, at first I was afraid, and then I thought that she would not answer at all), offered help, and she answered without a doubt that help would be very useful. So everything twisted. ”

By March 4, it was possible to collect more than 100 thousand rubles. According to the interlocutor of Novy-Europe, no one expected that such a large amount would be obtained. She noted that "everything was on a voluntary basis and on the personal initiative of the same caring people." On Monday afternoon, five people went to the cemetery and bought 40 bouquets of 25 cloves. According to one of the organizers, they "carried out all cloves from the flower base."

“The collection is still going on, people respond, and now in any case we will make several trips. How long it will last, we ourselves do not know. Probably, while there is responsiveness from other people. One way or another, this is not a planned action, this is not connected with political motives, and everything happens on a voluntary basis, ”the training participant noted.

One of the organizers wrote on her page that she was going to bring flowers again for 40 days from the date of death of Navalny. She also emphasized that “this event was created solely so that those who are far away could say goodbye to Alexei”, that this is not a political event, and she herself “has no beliefs” and asks “not to hang the excess”.

Part of the flowers purchased on March 4, the collection participants also attributed to the Moskvoretsky bridge - to the place of the murder of Boris Nemtsov.

Volunteers plan to take care of cleaning wilted flowers on the grave of Navalny:

“After a while, it will be necessary to disassemble the flowers on the grave of Alexei. Remove the worshipers. As people at one time did with a mountain of flowers on the bridge of Nemtsov. Those who wish were gathered with gloves, bags and sorted out flowers for several days, throwing off units. Otherwise, the grave of Lesha will become unsightly. ”

Navalny and Twitter

Navalny has always been a noticeable Twitter user, so it is not surprising that it was in this social network that sympathetic citizens were able to organize a fundraising.

“They read [the Twes of Navalny], of course. This could not but be remembered, even if you are not aware of the news: a politician who is so close to the people, jokes, answers, ”one of the gathering participants describes him.

Alexei created his page in 2009 and has since actively led it. He really often answered tweets of other users and openly expressed his opinion. After the sentence, Navalny continued to share his thoughts on Twitter with the help of lawyers and supporters.

“Alexey Navalny [remembered for me] with his positive; what a strong family and values; With your unprecedented desire to help against everything. The endless faith in Russia of the future, which he shared with us. Resistance and fundamental, at the same time openness to the new. He was a creator and inventor, ”the girl, who brought flowers to his grave, shared from the“ Novy-Europe ”.

The cross disappeared under the flowers

From the day of the funeral, the grave of the politician is thrown with cloves. By March 4, the cross on it already completely disappeared under the bouquets.

Daily Storm wrote that sellers of flower shops near the Borisov cemetery are now preparing bouquets with even number of buds in advance. “Of course, sales of cloves and some inexpensive colors have grown, which exactly are laid [to the monuments]-this is, on ordinary days we do not take in such quantities,” the store employees said.

Also, during the funeral of Navalny, a protest symbol associated with bouquets appeared. A photograph of flowers spread in social networks, as if germinating through the fences that Russian security forces establish before rallies. The symbol was displayed by many artists in their drawings.