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Moscow Police Arrest More Than 900 at Election Protest Moscow Police Arrest More Than 1,000 at Election Protest
(about 2 hours later)
MOSCOW — The police in Moscow arrested more than 900 people who had gathered near City Hall on Saturday to protest what they called unfair coming elections and to demand that opposition candidates be allowed to run for city office. MOSCOW — Lines of riot police officers in body armor and helmets blocked the streets of central Moscow on Saturday, arresting more than 1,000 demonstrators — chasing some of them down alleys — to blunt a protest over the fairness of coming city elections.
The protest in the center of Moscow, which was unauthorized and unraveled into scuffles with police officers, was the latest in a series of street demonstrations staged as President Vladimir V. Putin’s approval ratings have dipped amid economic hardship. “We love Russia! They love money!” protesters chanted, a reference to widespread anger over government corruption. Others sat in the streets, awaiting arrest and reading copies of the Constitution.
The spark for Saturday’s protest was a decision by election authorities to bar several opposition candidates from running for Moscow’s City Council, asserting that they had falsified signatures on petitions to run — a charge the candidates denied.
An independent monitoring group said 1,067 people were arrested near City Hall, the intended site of the rally, although many never made it there. As in past protests, the authorities began making arrests blocks away so a large crowd could not form.
The protest, which not authorized by the government, was the latest in a series of street demonstrations staged as President Vladimir V. Putin’s approval ratings have dipped amid economic hardship.
The authorities were prepared to suppress Saturday’s rally and its leaders.
Aleksei A. Navalny, the opposition leader who had called the demonstration, was arrested on Wednesday and sentenced to 30 days in jail. Other prominent opposition politicians — including Ilya V. Yashin, Dmitry G. Gudkov and Ivan Y. Zhdanov — were also rounded up before the event and released only late in the evening.Aleksei A. Navalny, the opposition leader who had called the demonstration, was arrested on Wednesday and sentenced to 30 days in jail. Other prominent opposition politicians — including Ilya V. Yashin, Dmitry G. Gudkov and Ivan Y. Zhdanov — were also rounded up before the event and released only late in the evening.
A post on the Facebook page of Mr. Yashin, a street activist and one of the politicians who was barred from running, said 10 masked police officers had removed him from his apartment in Moscow overnight before the Saturday demonstration.A post on the Facebook page of Mr. Yashin, a street activist and one of the politicians who was barred from running, said 10 masked police officers had removed him from his apartment in Moscow overnight before the Saturday demonstration.
“We will have nobody to choose from at the Election Day,” said Nadezhda Pilinskaya, 59, a retired entrepreneur who was one of those who managed to reach City Hall through police cordons. “It is horrible. My feeling is that we live under an occupation,” said Nadezhda Pilinskaya, 59, referring to the heavy police presence in the city center. “They fear that the end is coming, the end of this regime.”
“It is horrible. My feeling is that we live under an occupation,” she added, referring to the heavy police presence in the city center. “They fear that the end is coming, the end of this regime.” Ms. Pilinskaya, a retired entrepreneur, added, “We will have nobody to choose from on Election Day.”
While protests in provincial cities and the capital have pierced the image of unified support for Mr. Putin, the scale of support for such rallies is unclear. At stake in the Sept. 8 election are the 45 seats on the Moscow City Council, which is responsible for a large municipal budget and is controlled by the pro-Kremlin United Russia party. Election officials have so far registered nearly 200 candidates, most of whom are largely supportive of Mr. Putin.
The authorities often begin making arrests before a crowd can gather, as happened on Saturday as lines of riot police officers in body armor and helmets — an outfit protesters called “the cosmonaut” — blocked streets and chased demonstrators down alleys far from City Hall. Protesters say that without opposition candidates, the coming city election is rigged. Some protesters chanted, “Where is my signature?” Others yelled, “Where is my candidate?”
Some protesters sat on the sidewalks and awaited arrest, chanting, “We love Russia! They love money!” — a reference to widespread anger over corruption in Mr. Putin’s government. Some sat and read copies of the Constitution.
The spark for Saturday’s protest was a decision by election authorities to bar several opposition candidates running for Moscow’s City Council, asserting that they had falsified signatures on petitions to run — a charge the candidates denied.
Protesters say that without them, the election is rigged.
Some protesters chanted, “Where is my signature?” Others yelled, “Where is my candidate?”
The Moscow City Council has 45 seats and is responsible for a large municipal budget. It is controlled by the pro-Kremlin United Russia party. All of its seats, which have a five-year term, are up for election on Sept. 8.
Election officials have so far registered nearly 200 candidates, most of whom are largely supportive of Mr. Putin.
Protests had broken out even before the election dispute as Russia’s economy swoons under Western sanctions. Street actions began in provincial cities over bread-and-butter issues such as the placement of garbage dumps and the dismal wages of medical workers, which highlight growing frustration over gloomy standards of living.
Saturday’s protest appeared intended to raise the pressure on Russia’s tightly controlled political system.
The number of arrests, 938 by Saturday evening, was reported by OVD-Info, an independent monitor that tracks data from police precincts.
The police could be seen spraying some demonstrators with a chemical irritant. One woman, Aleksandra Y. Parushina, bled from a blow to the head with a nightstick.The police could be seen spraying some demonstrators with a chemical irritant. One woman, Aleksandra Y. Parushina, bled from a blow to the head with a nightstick.
“None of us was breaking the law. This situation was provoked by the police,” said Ms. Parushina, hear head wrapped in a blood-soaked bandage. “I even lost consciousness for a minute,” she said while waiting for an ambulance. “None of us was breaking the law. This situation was provoked by the police,” said Ms. Parushina, her head wrapped in a blood-soaked bandage. “I even lost consciousness for a minute,” she said while awaiting an ambulance.
Though the opposition has managed near-weekly protests this month, it’s unclear whether any longer-term momentum is building. Even before the election dispute, protests had broken out in provincial cities as Russia’s economy swoons under Western sanctions. Street actions began over bread-and-butter issues such as the placement of garbage dumps and the dismal wages of medical workers, which highlight growing frustration over gloomy standards of living.
The Moscow police said in a statement that 3,500 people came out for Saturday’s rally, including around 700 journalists and bloggers who had registered beforehand. The number could not be independently verified. While the near-weekly demonstrations in the capital and other cities have pierced the image of unified support for Mr. Putin, the scale of support for such rallies is unclear.
At one point, separate groups of demonstrators marching though the city center blocked some central streets. The Moscow police said that 3,500 people came out for Saturday’s rally, including about 700 journalists and bloggers who had registered beforehand. The number could not be independently verified.
There was a heavy police presence at the intended site of the protest, the mayor’s office, which many demonstrators never reached as arrests ensued so quickly. Police trucks and buses parked in the building’s courtyard, positioned to take detainees away.