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Thousands of Russians Present Letters of Protest in Demonstrations Thousands of Russians Present Letters of Protest in Demonstrations
(about 3 hours later)
MOSCOW — Thousands of people lined up in cities across Russia on Saturday to present letters of protest at government offices, the second such outpouring of discontent in two months. MOSCOW — Thousands of Russians lined up in cities across their country on Saturday to present letters of protest at government offices, the second widespread show of public discontent in two months.
The protests, initiated by the Open Russia organization founded by Mikhail B. Khodorkovsky, an exiled former oil tycoon, centered on the right of all Russians to present letters listing their grievances to the government. The protests, initiated by the Open Russia organization founded by Mikhail B. Khodorkovsky, an exiled former oil tycoon, centered on the right of all Russians to present letters listing grievances to the government.
Some of the protests turned violent. Organizers said that around 50 people had been arrested in St. Petersburg and that some of them had been injured. Organizers in the southern city of Ufa said hundreds of people had turned out. Some of the protests turned violent. Nearly 120 people were arrested in St. Petersburg, according to O.V.D. Info, an independent organization that tracks protest arrests, and there were scattered detentions in at least a half-dozen other cities. A heavy police presence in Samara thwarted any protest there, organizers said.
At least 16 people were arrested in the Siberian mining city of Kemerovo, organizers of the protests said on a Facebook page. They posted a video on Twitter that showed police officers leading one protester away as others chanted “Nadoel!” or “Tired!” The chants echoed the theme of the gatherings, which is that many Russians are tired of their government. Pictures of the protest in St. Petersburg, which organizers said had attracted about 300 people, showed riot police officers hustling protesters onto buses, including one older woman holding a sign critical of President Vladimir V. Putin, which said, “V. V. Putin — there is a way out — take a pension.”
In Moscow, the capital, hundreds of people lined a sidewalk near the Kremlin administration building between Red Square and Staraya Ploshad, or Old Square. Police officers in riot gear stood behind metal fences to block off the area around Old Square. Construction equipment also served as a barrier. The overarching theme for the day was “Nodoel!” or “Enough!” as in enough of Mr. Putin and his government. Signs and many petitions called on him not to seek a fourth term in next year’s presidential election. He is expected to run, although he has yet to officially declare his plans.
The Moscow demonstration started at 2 p.m. and ended a little more than two hours later. Organizers said that an early count found that at least 1,500 people had presented petitions. “We have Putin, we don’t need food,” read one sarcastic protest sign in the Siberian city of Tomsk, where some press reports said 500 people had taken part in the event.
Many people wrote their letters as they waited. The petitions called for better public services and an end to corruption or demanded that President Vladimir V. Putin not be allowed to seek another term in 2018. Before Saturday, Open Russia announced that it had organized protests in about 30 cities. Over all, the number of participants was smaller than the tens of thousands who turned out in about 80 cities for protests called by the main opposition leader, Aleksei A. Navalny, on March 26. Mr. Navalny has called for more demonstrations on June 12.
When asked about their expectations, many conceded that they did not think the petitions would have an effect, but they said that it was time to start pushing back against an erosion of civil liberties and the poor performance of the economy. In Moscow, the capital, hundreds of people holding petitions lined the sidewalk near the Kremlin administration building between Red Square and Staraya Ploshad, or Old Square. For a little more than two hours starting around 2 p.m., petitioners filed into a government office to present their letters, many of them written on the spot.
“We must participate in such events to show the authority that more and more people whose rights are being violated are against this,” a 30-year-old marketing specialist who identified herself only as Veronika said as she wrote her letter. Many participants were reluctant to give their full names because of the legal problems faced by numerous people who took part in previous protests. “I want to live in a country where laws are observed,” she said. In the days before the protest, the government had deployed construction equipment and barriers near the office that handles such letters, leaving organizers to believe the entrance would be blocked.
Open Russia said it planned protests in about 30 cities, though the full level of participation and the number of cities where events took place was not immediately available, as details trickled in from across Russia’s 11 time zones. After word went out that the letters were indeed being accepted, many more people arrived to stand in line. Organizers said that an early count found that at least 1,500 people had presented petitions in Moscow.
Mr. Khodorkovsky, the group’s founder and a former chairman of the Yukos oil giant, spent several years in prison before being pardoned by Mr. Putin in 2013. Since then, he has lived abroad, becoming one of the Kremlin’s most outspoken critics. “We must participate in such events to show the authority that more and more people whose rights are being violated are against this,” a 30-year-old marketing specialist who identified herself only as Veronika said as she wrote her letter. Many participants were reluctant to give their names because of the legal problems faced by numerous people who took part in previous protests. “I want to live in a country where laws are observed,” she said.
Open Russia’s Facebook page had a few suggestions about subjects to be addressed in the petitions, including “We are tired of living on poverty-level salaries and pensions”; “We are tired of listening to lies on television,” and “We are tired of driving on bad roads.” Another protester who declined to give his full name, Aleksandr, 26, said he had tried to start an emergency services company to work in gas fields and had been blocked at every turn. “They keep telling me that they don’t have the budget, maybe because the prime minister stole $70 billion dollars,” he said, referring to recent accusations against Prime Minister Dmitri A. Medvedev in a YouTube video produced by Mr. Navalny.
The group also suggested that Russians were tired of many of their most prominent leaders, including Mr. Putin, Prime Minister Dmitri A. Medvedev and Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Chechnya, a North Caucasus republic, whose thuggish police force recently made headlines for detaining and torturing gay people. “The government does not care about ordinary people — about our salaries, medication, our rights, nothing,” Aleksandr said.
The anticorruption theme burst into prominence on March 26, with marches in about 80 Russian cities that included a large number of young people. The protests were called by the most prominent opposition leader, Aleksei A. Navalny, who was subsequently jailed for 15 days for organizing them. More than 1,000 people were arrested in Moscow alone and have steadily been brought to court. Many of those presenting petitions acknowledged that the relatively low turnout and the government’s general indifference meant the protests would probably not have much of an effect. But they said it was time to start pushing back against an erosion of civil liberties and the country’s poor economic performance.
Open Russia’s Facebook page had a few suggestions about subjects to be addressed in the petitions, including “We are tired of living on poverty-level salaries and pensions”; “We are tired of listening to lies on television”; and “We are tired of driving on bad roads.”
Under Russian law, the government is supposed to respond to such letters in 30 days. Two women who were accepting petitions assigned each one a number and gave the writer a slip of paper with a telephone number to call. Few expected answers, especially to the many letters calling on Mr. Putin to quit.
“They will probably answer that the writer was not suggesting any exact problem so thank you very much,” said Aleksandr Y. Soloviev, 29, the chairman of Open Russia.
The group’s founder, Mr. Khodorkovsky, a former chairman of the oil giant Yukos, spent several years in prison before being pardoned by Mr. Putin in 2013. Since then, he has lived abroad, becoming one of the Kremlin’s most outspoken critics.
The anticorruption theme burst into new prominence on March 26, with marches that included many young people in about 80 Russian cities. The protests were called by Mr. Navalny, who was subsequently jailed for 15 days for organizing them. More than 1,000 people were arrested in Moscow alone and have steadily been brought to court.
Mr. Navalny appears to have hit a public nerve with a series of videos accusing senior government officials of widespread corruption.Mr. Navalny appears to have hit a public nerve with a series of videos accusing senior government officials of widespread corruption.
The latest video focused on a what he said was a group of four bogus charities that spend about $66 billion annually to maintain a series of luxurious residences for the prime minister. His latest video focused on what he said was a group of four bogus charities that spend more than $66 billion annually to maintain a series of luxurious residences for the prime minister.
Mr. Navalny, who has called for another round of protests on June 12, was hit with green dye for a second time last week and required medical treatment for an eye injury. Mr. Navalny was doused with green dye for a second time on Thursday, and one eye required medical treatment. He appeared on his YouTube channel afterward, tinted slightly green, to answer questions from around the country.
He appeared on his YouTube channel afterward, still tinted slightly green, to answer questions from around the country. He expressed support for the idea of submitting petitions on Saturday, but he said he doubted that doing so would produce any positive results.
Mr. Navalny expressed support for the idea of submitting petitions on Saturday, but he said he doubted that doing so would have any effect. Asked about the Saturday protest last week, Dmitri S. Peskov, Mr. Putin’s spokesman, noted that it was illegal and would be dealt with accordingly. The police in Moscow repeatedly ordered anyone lingering on the sidewalk to move on, but otherwise treated the protesters respectfully.
Asked about the Saturday protest last week, Dmitri S. Peskov, Mr. Putin’s spokesman, noted that it was illegal and would be dealt with accordingly. A day earlier, the government had declared Open Russia, which has its headquarters in Britain, an “undesirable” organization, making it illegal for the parent organization to operate in Russia. The main reason cited for the designation was that the group had organized protests.
“We are still hearing calls for illegal action,” Mr. Peskov told reporters on a conference call. “This will naturally lead to an absolutely lawful reaction from the authorities in accordance with current legislation.” In March, Mr. Putin condemned street protests, saying that they would lead to chaos if allowed to continue, noting the violent aftermath of such outpourings in the Arab world and Ukraine in recent years.
A day earlier, the government had declared Open Russia, which has its headquarters in Britain, an “undesirable” organization, making it illegal for it to operate in Russia. The main reason cited for the designation was that the group had organized protests. On Friday, Ren TV, a Russian television channel that serves as a cheerleader for the Kremlin, broadcast a documentary that portrayed Open Russia as a collection of criminals and drug addicts who cultivate ties with the United States.
In March, Mr. Putin condemned street protests, saying that they would lead to chaos if allowed to continue, and noting the violent aftermath of such outpourings in the Arab world and Ukraine in recent years. No reports about Saturday’s protests appeared on Rossiya 24, the main cable news channel. Reports included one about the opening of Fountain Season in the capital, with the water being turned on after the long winter freeze, as well as the bike-sharing system.
At least initially, no reports about Saturday’s protests appeared on Rossiya 24, the main cable news channel. Reports included one about the opening of Fountain Season in the capital, with the water being turned on after the long winter freeze.
There also seemed to be a less-than-subtle message directed at the protesters, whom the government often accuses of being financed from abroad. The cable station showed a documentary about treacherous military officers who served the enemy during World War II.There also seemed to be a less-than-subtle message directed at the protesters, whom the government often accuses of being financed from abroad. The cable station showed a documentary about treacherous military officers who served the enemy during World War II.