Undeterred
by a sudden escalation in the Kremlin's crackdown on the opposition,
tens of thousands thronged Moscow's tree-lined boulevards Tuesday in the
first mass protest against Vladimir Putin since he returned to the presidency in May.
The crowd was even larger than at a demonstration on the eve of Putin's inauguration, which disintegrated into violent clashes and ushered in the crackdown. Tuesday's rally ended peacefully, as both protesters and riot police took pains to prevent a confrontation as tensions were already running high.
Putin himself spoke of the need "to strive for mutual understanding and to find compromise." Although in his address on Russia Day, a national holiday, he also warned of the dangers posed by attempts to split society.
Putin has taken a tougher stance on the opposition since beginning his third term on May 7, but in recent days the pressure has risen markedly. Some of the most charismatic protest leaders were called in for questioning Tuesday, a day after investigators raided their apartments, carting away computers, cell phones and in at least one case envelopes stuffed with cash. The interrogations are to continue throughout the week. Fines for taking part in unauthorized rallies were stiffened under a new repressive law hastily passed by parliament last week and signed by Putin on Friday.
The Kremlin appeared to be betting that the tougher measures would frighten away the well-educated, citified protesters, many of them young, white-collar professionals. But those who came out on Tuesday said they were determined to make their voices heard.
"I came just so that I can show this enormous, expansive Russia that there are people who aren't afraid of the laws that the government passes," said Tatyana Fedorenko, a retired teacher.
Fedorenko, who said her father had spent 20 years in a labor camp as a political prisoner under Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, said the new fines have silenced people in the village where she has a country house.
"The people in that village all hate Putin, but they are terrified of losing what they have," Fedorenko said. "They can't pay that 300,000 rubles (more than $9,000)" fine.
The number of protesters has declined since the anti-Putin demonstrations in the months ahead of the March presidential election, which drew as many as 100,000 onto the streets in the dead of a Moscow winter. But a turnout of tens of thousands on May 6 — and again on Tuesday — was still impressive in a country where such political protests attracted no more than a few hundred people only several months ago.
Some of Tuesday's protesters marched under the banners of liberal, leftist or nationalist groups. Others came with groups of friends or co-workers. Young couples pushed baby carriages, and gray-haired men and women supported themselves with canes.
"You can't scare all of us, and if you take away one of us, dozens will come in our place," liberal activist Ilya Yashin told the crowd.
Yashin was among the several opposition leaders who were questioned. He was released just in time to speak at the end of the six-hour demonstration.
You can't pretend that we don't exist," he said. "A foolish, irresponsible government is fighting the protesters."
In his Russia Day speech, Putin made some unusually conciliatory comments about the unprecedented challenge to his 12-year rule. He said the differing points of view about the future of Russia were to be expected in a "free, democratic country."
"Therefore, it is important to listen and respect one another, to strive for mutual understanding and to find compromise, to unite our society around a positive agenda," Putin said at the Kremlin ceremony.
He also spoke of the need for stability and said any actions that could divide society or lead to social unrest were unacceptable.
The crowd was even larger than at a demonstration on the eve of Putin's inauguration, which disintegrated into violent clashes and ushered in the crackdown. Tuesday's rally ended peacefully, as both protesters and riot police took pains to prevent a confrontation as tensions were already running high.
Putin himself spoke of the need "to strive for mutual understanding and to find compromise." Although in his address on Russia Day, a national holiday, he also warned of the dangers posed by attempts to split society.
Putin has taken a tougher stance on the opposition since beginning his third term on May 7, but in recent days the pressure has risen markedly. Some of the most charismatic protest leaders were called in for questioning Tuesday, a day after investigators raided their apartments, carting away computers, cell phones and in at least one case envelopes stuffed with cash. The interrogations are to continue throughout the week. Fines for taking part in unauthorized rallies were stiffened under a new repressive law hastily passed by parliament last week and signed by Putin on Friday.
The Kremlin appeared to be betting that the tougher measures would frighten away the well-educated, citified protesters, many of them young, white-collar professionals. But those who came out on Tuesday said they were determined to make their voices heard.
"I came just so that I can show this enormous, expansive Russia that there are people who aren't afraid of the laws that the government passes," said Tatyana Fedorenko, a retired teacher.
Fedorenko, who said her father had spent 20 years in a labor camp as a political prisoner under Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, said the new fines have silenced people in the village where she has a country house.
"The people in that village all hate Putin, but they are terrified of losing what they have," Fedorenko said. "They can't pay that 300,000 rubles (more than $9,000)" fine.
The number of protesters has declined since the anti-Putin demonstrations in the months ahead of the March presidential election, which drew as many as 100,000 onto the streets in the dead of a Moscow winter. But a turnout of tens of thousands on May 6 — and again on Tuesday — was still impressive in a country where such political protests attracted no more than a few hundred people only several months ago.
Some of Tuesday's protesters marched under the banners of liberal, leftist or nationalist groups. Others came with groups of friends or co-workers. Young couples pushed baby carriages, and gray-haired men and women supported themselves with canes.
"You can't scare all of us, and if you take away one of us, dozens will come in our place," liberal activist Ilya Yashin told the crowd.
Yashin was among the several opposition leaders who were questioned. He was released just in time to speak at the end of the six-hour demonstration.
You can't pretend that we don't exist," he said. "A foolish, irresponsible government is fighting the protesters."
In his Russia Day speech, Putin made some unusually conciliatory comments about the unprecedented challenge to his 12-year rule. He said the differing points of view about the future of Russia were to be expected in a "free, democratic country."
"Therefore, it is important to listen and respect one another, to strive for mutual understanding and to find compromise, to unite our society around a positive agenda," Putin said at the Kremlin ceremony.
He also spoke of the need for stability and said any actions that could divide society or lead to social unrest were unacceptable.
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