Jump to content

2011–2013 Russian protests: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
→10 December: linked Bolotnaya Square
Line 21: Line 21:


==Background==
==Background==
According to the Russian state-owned news agency [[RIA Novosti]], there were more than 1,100 official reports of election irregularities across the country, including [[Electoral fraud|vote fraud]], obstruction of observers and illegal campaigning. Members of the [[A Just Russia]], [[Yabloko]] and [[Communist Party of the Russian Federation|Communist]] parties reported that voters were shuttled between multiple polling stations to cast several ballots. The Yabloko and [[Liberal Democratic Party of Russia|Liberal Democratic]] parties reported that some of their observers had been banned from witnessing the sealing of the ballot boxes and from gathering video footage, and some were groundlessly expelled from polling stations.<ref name="ria-fraud"/> The ruling United Russia party alleged that the opposition parties had engaged in illegal campaigning by distributing leaflets and newspapers at polling stations and that at some polling stations the voters had been ordered to vote for the United Russia party with threats of violence.<ref name="ria-fraud"/>
According to the Russian state-owned news agency [[RIA Novosti]], there were more than 1,100 official reports of election irregularities across the country, including [[Electoral fraud|vote fraud]], obstruction of observers and illegal campaigning. Members of the [[A Just Russia]], [[Yabloko]] and [[Communist Party of the Russian Federation|Communist]] parties reported that voters were shuttled between multiple polling stations to cast several ballots. The Yabloko and [[Liberal Democratic Party of Russia|Liberal Democratic]] parties reported that some of their observers had been banned from witnessing the sealing of the ballot boxes and from gathering video footage, and some were groundlessly expelled from polling stations.<ref name="ria-fraud"/> The ruling [[United Russia]] party alleged that the opposition parties had engaged in illegal campaigning by distributing leaflets and newspapers at polling stations and that at some polling stations the voters had been ordered to vote for the United Russia party with threats of violence.<ref name="ria-fraud"/>


==5–7 December==
==5–7 December==

Revision as of 13:21, 10 December 2011

2011 Russian protests
Part of the impact of the Arab Spring
Moscow meeting on 5 December 2011.
Date5 December 2011 (2011-12-05) - ongoing
Resulted inProtests ongoing
Casualties
Arrestedover 1000[1][2]

The 2011 Russian protests began as a response to what many Russian journalists, political activists and members of the public considered to be flawed elections during the Russian legislative election.[3]

Background

According to the Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti, there were more than 1,100 official reports of election irregularities across the country, including vote fraud, obstruction of observers and illegal campaigning. Members of the A Just Russia, Yabloko and Communist parties reported that voters were shuttled between multiple polling stations to cast several ballots. The Yabloko and Liberal Democratic parties reported that some of their observers had been banned from witnessing the sealing of the ballot boxes and from gathering video footage, and some were groundlessly expelled from polling stations.[4] The ruling United Russia party alleged that the opposition parties had engaged in illegal campaigning by distributing leaflets and newspapers at polling stations and that at some polling stations the voters had been ordered to vote for the United Russia party with threats of violence.[4]

5–7 December

On 5 December, opponents of the government began protesting in Moscow, numbering around 5,000, denouncing Vladimir Putin and his government and what they believed were flawed elections. Campaigners argued that the elections had been a sham and demanded that Putin step down, whilst some demanded revolution.[3][5]

Many pro-government supporters, including the pro-Putin youth group Nashi, were mobilized on December 6 at the site of the planned demonstration where they made noise in support of the government and United Russia.[6] There was a 15,000-strong rally of Nashi on Manezhnaya Square[7] and a 8,000-strong rally of the Young Guard on Revolyutsii Square.[8] About 500 pro United Russia activists marched near Red Square.[9] Truck loads of soldiers and police, as well as a water cannon, were deployed ahead of expected anti government protests, and it emerged that 300 protesters had been arrested in Moscow the night before, along with 120 in St. Petersburg.[10] During the night of 6 December, at least 600 protesters were reported to be in Triumphalnaya square chanting slogans against Putin,[3] whilst anti government protesters at Revolution Square near the Kremlin clashed with riot police and interior ministry troops, with the police chasing around 100 away, arresting some.[11] Protest numbers later reportedly reached over 1,000 at Triumphalnaya Square and dozens of arrests were reported, including Boris Nemtsov, an opposition leader and former deputy prime minister,[12] and Alexey Navalny, a top blogger and anti-corruption activist.[13] Over 250 arrests were made, with police using busses to transport the suspects to police stations to be charged. At least one Russian journalist claimed he was beaten by police officers who stamped on him and hit his legs with batons.[14] Another 200 arrests were reported in St. Petersburg and 25 in Rostov the same night as anti government demonstrations took place. After 3 and a half hours, the Moscow protest came to an end.[15]

Attempts to stage a large protest in Moscow on 7 December fizzled out due to a large police presence in the city.[16]

Domestic media coverage

According to the BBC on 7 December, "State TV channels have ignored the protests, giving coverage only to rallies in support of the government."[17] In contrast, newspapers have mentioned the protests in more depth.[18] The only TV station to mention the protests at length is the independent, but not broadcast widely, Ren TV.[18]

Symbols

The white ribbon emerged in October 2011 as a symbol of opposition and since the elections has picked up momentum. Some Russians have been tying it to their clothing, cars, and other objects, and the motif has appeared on runet and on Twitter.[19]

Twitter

Twitter users in Russia have reported being overwhelmed by pro-government tweets timed to swamp protest-related tweets.[20] Many tweets seem to have been sent by hi-jacked computers, though the perpetrator(s) are not yet known.[20]

Reactions

On 7 December, Mikhail Gorbachev, former President of the Soviet Union, said he felt that a new election should be held to quell public anger over the fraudulent election.[21] He said that the number of Russians who believed the election was rigged was rising daily and that the government needed to listen to public opinion to prevent more civil unrest.[17]

Vladimir Putin said that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's comments on the election "set the tone for some opposition activists" to act "in accordance with the well-known scenario of a color revolution and in their own mercenary political interests". He said that "it is unacceptable when foreign money is pumped into election processes" and that Russia's sovereignty should be defended from foreign interference.[22]

According to a report in The Wall Street Journal a request was made by Russia's Federal Security Service, the successor to the KGB, to the social media site VKontakte to block opposition groups who 'encourage people to “trash the streets, to organize a revolution.”'. The request was declined due to generally peaceful nature of the protests.[23]

10 December

Protests organized via a Facebook group "Суббота на Болотной площади" (Saturday at Bolotnaya Square)[24] against the government for Saturday 10 December,[17][25]. Newspapers commented that 15,000 facebook users (growing later to 35,000) had positively responded to invitations to demonstate in Moscow,[26][27] and similarly over 5,000 in St. Petersburg.[28] A permit had been issued to the group Solidarnost for a legal demonstration of 300 people in Revolution Square. However as of December 8 more than 30,000[24] had accepted the Facebook invitation to attend. After negotiations with the demonstrators an alternative location for a 30,000 person demonstration was authorized by the Moscow government to take place on 10 December on Bolotnaya Square.[29]According to Putin, police and security forces would be deployed to deal with anyone participating in illegal protests in Moscow or other cities.[30] Noize MC and writer Boris Akunin both agreed to address the crowds, the latter flying in specially from Paris for the occasion.[31]

According to the Guardian newspaper, "Russian media reports said that schools and universities had declared classes for Saturday in an attempt to keep young people away. Gennady Onischenko, Russia's chief health official, warned protesters to stay away at risk of getting the flu or SARS."[31]

The Telegraph reported at 10.40 GMT that "Half an hour into what is likely to be Moscow’s biggest demonstration since the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia’s biggest state-controlled television station, Channel One, has no mention of the popular unrest on its website."[32] Journalist Andrew Osborn noted a bad 3G telephone signal in Bolotnaya Square, asking "Wonder if they have deliberately shut off in protest area [sic]".[32] The Guardian also reported that mobile internet had been "cut off" in the square.[33]

Speakers in Moscow

Various celebrities addressed the crowd, including:

Other cities

As well as Moscow, protests were planned to take place in St. Petersburg, Vladivostok and Kaliningrad, as well as at least 88 other towns and cities in Russia[34][35]

"Sympathy protests" are also being held abroad. In London, the former parliamentary aide accused of being a Russian spy Katia Zatuliveter turned up holding a banner saying: "Russian vote 146 per cent fair".[32]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2011 Russian protests.
  1. ^ Balmforth, Tom. "Hundreds Arrested On Second Night Of Opposition Protests In Russia". Rferl.org. Retrieved 2011-12-08.
  2. ^ "UPDATE 1-Russian police block new anti-Putin rally". Reuters. 2009-02-09. Retrieved 2011-12-08.
  3. ^ a b c Elder, Miriam (6 December 2011). "Russian police and troops clash with protesters in Moscow". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
  4. ^ a b "'Catch a fraudster' game - carousels, threats and illegal campaigning at Russian Duma polls". RIA Novosti. 4 December 2011. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
  5. ^ "Russia election: Hundreds rally against Putin in Moscow". BBC News. 5 December 2011. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
  6. ^ Barry, Ellen (6 December 2011). "Russia Cracks Down on Antigovernment Protests". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
  7. ^ Митинг "Наших" оказался многочисленнее мероприятия оппозиции Template:Ru icon
  8. ^ Итогам парламентских выборов были сегодня посвящены многотысячные митинги в центре Москвы Channel One Template:Ru icon
  9. ^ "Kremlin supporters gather in Moscow after vote protest". RIA Novosti. 6 December 2011. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
  10. ^ Clover, Charles (2011-11-28). "Protesters defy troops on Moscow streets". FT.com. Retrieved 2011-12-08.
  11. ^ "Police and protesters clash in Moscow after election protests". The Daily Telegraph. 6 December 2011. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
  12. ^ Clover, Charles (2011-11-28). "Protesters defy troops on Moscow streets". FT.com. Retrieved 2011-12-08.
  13. ^ Ioffe, Julia (6 December 2011). "Putin's Big Mistake?". The New Yorker. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
  14. ^ Osborn, Andrew (6 December 2011). "Opposition leader held as Russia beats back protests". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
  15. ^ "Post-election clashes continue in Moscow". CBS News. 6 December 2011. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
  16. ^ "UPDATE 1-Russian police block new anti-Putin rally". Reuters. 2009-02-09. Retrieved 2011-12-08.
  17. ^ a b c "Russia protests: Gorbachev calls for election re-run". BBC News. 7 December 2011. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
  18. ^ a b Protests barely seen on Russian TV, BBC, retrieved 09/12/2011
  19. ^ Russia protest: White ribbon emerges as rallying symbol, BBC, retrieved 09/12/2011
  20. ^ a b Russian Twitter political protests "swamped by spam", BBC, retrieved 09/12/2011
  21. ^ "Gorbachev calls for Russian elections to be declared void". The Guardian. 7 December 2011. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
  22. ^ Russia PM Vladimir Putin accuses US over poll protests BBC
  23. ^ Olga Razumovskaya (December 9, 2011). "Russian Social Network: FSB Asked It To Block Kremlin Protesters"" (blog). The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved December 9, 2011. Mr. Tsyplukhin explained in an e-mailed statement that the company received a written request from the FSB to shut down groups that encourage people to "trash the streets, to organize a revolution." The company said it responded to the authorities that it would not be fair to shut down opposition groups because of a few people who are calling for violence and that it would only make sense to block the violent users.
  24. ^ a b David M. Herszenhorn; Steven Lee Myers (December 8, 2011). "Grappling With Vote Protests, Putin Seeks to Blame Clinton". The New York Times. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
  25. ^ http://www.voanews.com/english/news/Moscow-Braces-for-Anti-Putin-Rally-135313948.html%7CVoice of America|date 9/12/11| title pro democracy protests put Putin, Russia at crossroads
  26. ^ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2070615/Russian-election-protests-Mikhail-Gorbachev-calls-vote-annulled.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
  27. ^ Tom Balmforth (December 7, 2011). "Russian Protesters Mobilize Via Social Networks, As Key Opposition Leaders Jailed". Radio Free Europe, Radio Libery. Retrieved December 7, 2011.
  28. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/dec/07/russia-anti-putin-protest-grow?newsfeed=true
  29. ^ Мэрия Москвы согласовала митинг с участием 30 тысяч человек Lenta.ru Template:Ru icon
  30. ^ "Putin warns protesters ahead of rally". UPI.Com. December 8, 2011. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
  31. ^ a b Putin faces wave of protests as opposition calls for new Russian elections, Guardian, retrieved 09/12/2011
  32. ^ a b c Russian protests: live, Telegraph, retrieved 10/12/2011
  33. ^ a b c d e f g Russian election protests – follow live updates, Guardian, retrieved 10/12/2011
  34. ^ http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/09/us-russia-idUSTRE7B610S20111209?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&rpc=71%7Cagency Reuters|date01/12/11|access10/12/11
  35. ^ http://www.voanews.com/english/news/Moscow-Braces-for-Anti-Putin-Rally-135313948.html%7CVoice of America|date 9/12/11| title pro democracy protests put Putin, Russia at crossroads
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=2011–2013_Russian_protests&oldid=465116206"