“Day of anger” in Russia

The sudden strike took place in Kaliningrad, on January 30th, when ten thousands descended into the streets demanding a reduction in the 25% increase in motor use tax levied by regional authorities. Among their other demands were an economic policy to boost the region’s economy; an end to the “dictatorship by the incumbent party”, United Russia; and the resignation of the region’s governor, Gueorgui Boos. The economic hardships are becoming increasingly difficult in most regions; water, gas and electricity rates are prohibitive for most of the population. There was a chain of protests, which brought together thousands of people in a series of cities, including Angarsk, Irkutsk and Arkhangelsk. Their main targets were the local or regional authorities, nepotism and corruption as well as the “power vertical” installed by Vladimir Putin, which makes local power even more inaccessible to the population. They have gradually concentrated their exasperation with the civil servants and the political elites’ contempt of the laws and the population on Prime Minister and ex-President Putin.

When an opposition coalition in Kaliningrad announced a massive gathering for March 20th, numerous social networks and movements picked up the watchword for a day of solidarity action across Russia.

Contrary to what has been said in most of the media, it is not the liberal right political movement “Solidarnost” that is the root of the March 20 appeal for a “Day of Anger”, but well known networks such as the Russian Motorist Federation (FAR), the Active Citizens of Russia Movement (TGIR) and the Union of Soviet Coordination of Russia (SKS). Be that as it may, the appeals created a vast mobilization movement: there were protests of all sorts on March 20th in almost 50 cities. And, it is important to note that they were co-organised by vast local coalitions, which often brought together dozens of associations, local social movements and opposition political parties.

The protest numbers may seem insignificant: around 4000 people in Kaliningrad, 3000 in Irkustk, 2000 in Vladivostok, 1500 in St Petersburg, 1000 in Ijevsk and around 500 in cities such as Astrakhan, Moscow, Penza and Tiumen. But the geographical extent of the mobilisation demonstrates that grassroots citizen movements attempted to join their voices to be heard at the federal level. And the unity of the watchwords “The power under citizen control”, “No to the political monopoly of United Russia”, “Let’s take back control of our city” indicates the development of a shared political culture. Even if the protests were originally against the local authorities such as the governors of the leading regions, Putin was also targeted as the one in charge of the federal government: the slogan decorating most of the gatherings read “Putin, resign.”

Massive arrests in Moscow

In Moscow, the organising committee of the “Day of Anger” - inhabitant committees, movements in defence of the Khimki forest, deceived co-investors, hostel inhabitants, the Left Front, “Solidarnost”, among others - decided to defy the ban to protest in the centre, at Pushkin Square, and around 3 pm on Saturday, nearly 500 people turned up, ready to defend their right to protest (the main watchword of the action in Moscow was “Loujkov ” city mayor, resign”). Militia members invaded the Square, and arrests quickly followed as soon as the first words were spoken. Despite everything, the protesters held out for nearly an hour, playing cat and mouse with the forces of law and order, and in some cases, they managed to escape on to adjacent boulevards. The results of the race: at least 70 people were arrested, and for some, it was done quite brutally. The Constitution text that one activist was holding did nothing: she was picked up like the others.

Mandarin protest in Kaliningrad

In Kaliningrad, the most western city in Russia where the wave of mobilisation began, the protest was also banned by the local authorities, causing a stir and tensions within the local opposition coalition. A few days before March 20th, anonymous calls were magically made; people were asked to meet at the central square, where the agricultural fair was scheduled to take place, and to take with them mandarins, Governor Boos’ symbol. And “by chance”, nearly 4000 people gathered at the given time, between 1 and 2 pm, shaking their mandarins with outstretched arms. The police did not intervene - what could it do against a mandarin? And the people were also dispersed, happy that they had made a mockery of the arbitrariness of power.

Vladivostok: opposition unite against “United Russia”

In the Far East of Vladivostok, where the Day of Anger opened, over 2000 people met at the Central Square, won over by the struggle following long negotiations by an extremely large coalition comprising the Communist Party; the Active Citizens’ Movement, TIGR; Iabloko; the motorist movement as well as a local political movement called “Freedom and People Power.” As was the case everywhere, anger was expressed in the many of the placards that the protesters had prepared: “Down with the arbitrariness of power”, “Down with corruption by civil servants”, “Russia is a vast country, it’s not surprising that no one notices us.” At the end of the gathering, the organisers symbolically passed the torch to other cities: “Novosibirsk, Saint Petersburg and Kaliningrad – yes, yes yes! Power – no, no, no!”

Irkutsk: saving the Baikal

The main theme of the Irkutsk gathering was saving the Baikal and the demands of the local population to decide the region’s mode of development. Led by ecology movements of the regions for many months, the mobilisation against the reopening of the stationery and paper factory that dumps its waste in the Lake Baikal united the opposition and it included motorist movement and the movement of inhabitants for self-management “Narodny Kontrol .” Close to three thousand people came to protest against Vladimir Putin, author and defender of the factory reopening project. But many other problems were raised, particularly those of weak pensions and the dilapidation of the housing stock.

It was also in Irkutsk that the liberal right’s attempt to recuperate the citizen mobilisation has been the most striking. Boris Nemtsov, head of the “Solidarnost ” movement and former minister under Boris Yeltsin in the 90s, made a special trip to intervene from the platform.

Saint Petersburg: forum of local social movements

In Saint Petersburg where communists from the Communist Party had decided to act as a group in organizing their own assembly in which some 400 people participated, the protest was organized by social movements including 33 groups, committees and networks; among them the powerful movement against the construction of the “Gazprom” building, and which drew over 1500 inhabitants. The friendly atmosphere and the harmony between the participants resulted in a unanimous decision to strengthen coordination ties between movements by implementing a coordination centre for social movements and citizens of the city.

The watchword was the same as those of the other cities: against the monopoly of the “incumbent party”, against the confiscation of power by bureaucrats, for a city that belongs to the citizens and the resignation of the region’s governor, Valentina Matvienko.

Carine Clément