Protests begin in Russia now, too

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**Melissia**

http://www.economist.com/blogs/easternapproaches/2011/12/protest-russia-0

Ex-communist Europe
Eastern approaches
Protest in Russia
A Russian awakening
Dec 11th 2011, 12:43 by A.O. | MOSCOW

AFTER several days of tension, clashes and arrests following Russia's rigged parliamentary election on December 4th, yesterday something unexpectedly good happened. Tens of thousands of middle-class Muscovites held a peaceful rally in the centre of Moscow, the biggest such event since the early 1990s. Astonishingly, there was not a single arrest. Indeed, some of the thousands of policemen and interior-ministry troops showed sympathy for the protestors.

This was an uplifting display of both dignity and indignation. Citizens were riled not only about the electoral fraud, but at being treated as imbeciles by their leader, Vladimir Putin. There was anger at the Kremlin, calls for “Russia without Putin” and against the ruling United Russia party (“the party of thieves and crooks”), but no aggression. The crowd contained not only liberals but also Communists, anarchists and some nationalists. But protestors were almost conspicuously polite towards each other.

Some carried white flowers, which they tried to give to the police. They made jokes. “146% of Muscovites are for free elections” one sign read. Another said: “I did not vote for these bastards. I voted for other bastards. I demand a recount.”

The speakers included liberal politicians, such as Vladimir Ryzhkov and Boris Nemtsov, but also Boris Akunin, a famous writer, and Leonid Parfenov, a celebrated television journalist. They demanded the immediate release of more than 1,000 political activists arrested during last week’s protests, a full investigation into electoral fraud allegations, a new election, the sacking of Vladimir Churov (head of the electoral commission) and the registration of all opposition parties, not just the ones sanctioned by the Kremlin.

The government is unlikely to meet any of these demands. But the rally has already achieved its most important result: the political awakening of Russia’s urban middle class. Over the past decade these people have devoted their energy to making money, consuming and travelling, allowing Mr Putin to consolidate unprecedented power, eliminate alternative sources of influence and turn television into a tool of propaganda.

But yesterday the protestors showed themselves to be a political force. “We exist! We exist!” they chanted. They were educated and affluent—many of them carried iPads—and were keen to make their voice heard. The protest had been organised on social networks, but yesterday this Facebook crowd turned its virtual agitation into political reality.

The rally was a rare example of all sides showing sense. The authorities allowed the demonstration to go ahead and showed restraint in policing it. The organisers went out of their way to stop provocations and keep the event peaceful. Even the state-controlled media, which had completely ignored all previous demonstrations and suggestions of electoral fraud, reported the rally in a balanced and accurate way.

A small group of radicals who tried to hold their own event at Revolutionary Square were ignored by everyone, including the police. Their leader, Eduard Limonov, bitterly complained that his revolution had been stolen. But for a few hours yesterday, Russia’s capital felt democratic, despite the heavy police presence.

Similar, if smaller, rallies were held in some 90 cities across Russia. (Some ended with arrests). Almost everywhere protestors chanted “Russia”. This is what United Russia members were encouraged to do by Mr Putin at their recent party conference. But yesterday it had a very different sound, and it was a very different Russia.

A pleasant surprise, not one I really expected given what little I know of Russia's culture.

**juraigamer**

You know I hate to say it, but in soviet russia, change works for you!

**Snrub**

Dammit you beat me to the punch with a Soviet Russia joke.

I wonder how long it will take for the populace of China to start taking a stand against their govenment. If they do at all. Credit where credits due though, the Chinese govenment seems to have a strong stranglehold on all activisim. At least thats how it appears to me from what ive seen on the news.

**Melissia**

Chinese culture also doesn't really lend itself to activism much from what I understand of it (which admittedly isn't the best understanding).

**Monster Rain**

Melissia wrote:Chinese culture also doesn't really lend itself to activism much from what I understand of it (which admittedly isn't the best understanding).

Clearly.

Spoiler:

**Melissia**

Which is a notable exception, not the norm...

**LordofHats**

He is kind of standing by himself I guess...

**Monster Rain**

About 15 seconds on Google will provide you with many more examples.

**dogma**

Melissia wrote:Which is a notable exception, not the norm...

Mao?

Um-papa-Mao-Mao-Mao?

Automatically Appended Next Post:

Monster Rain wrote:About 15 seconds on Google will provide you with many more examples.

As will a bit of Dynasty Warriors!

Zao Tai ftw.

**Velour_Fog**

Doubt that it'll change anything. It's not like their government is going to admit corruption, even if it's blatantly obvious.

**LordofHats**

dogma wrote:Zao Tai ftw.

Old Zao Tai? Hells to yeeeaaaah!

New Zao Tai? Damn he sucks so much...

Old school Ma Chao is where its at

**Melissia**

And here I feel left out cause I've always preferred the samurai warriors spinoff.

**Morathi's Darkest Sin**

I think he means Zhou Tai.

Prefer Zhang Liao myself, the bogeyman for a large swathe of China can't be wrong.

Regarding the OP, been watching the story develop for about a week or so now, when the build up to the elections began. Putin saying he's going to stand again, seems the people are starting to wake up to him.

Thank goodness, those youth camps I saw on the news last year where quite worrying, telling those attending how awesome Putin and his parties vision for Russia was, almost at a brainwashing level.

My thoughts on it are, the people of Russia already stood up to the USSR, a much more organised and harsh regime. If he thought they wouldn't be willing to stand up to him once it became apparent he was after power beyond his means, or to enforce some sort of semi-dictatorship, he's more fool than I first reckoned, with all his 'I wrestle bears' rollocks.

**Monster Rain**

I'm more a Cao Pi fan.

Doesn't get more awesome than that.

**WARORK93**

.

**Monster Rain**

dogma wrote:
Melissia wrote:Which is a notable exception, not the norm...

Mao?

Um-papa-Mao-Mao-Mao?

Don't forget his friend Chiang.

**Ahtman**

No Lu Bu?

**Melissia**

Ahtman wrote:No Lu Bu?

Play Oda Nobunaga like a real warrior!

*eyes Warriors Orochi series suspiciously*

**LordofHats**

Ahtman wrote:No Lu Bu?

Lu Bu is purposely OP

**Necroshea**

LordofHats wrote:
Ahtman wrote:No Lu Bu?

Lu Bu is purposely OP

Played one of the games at a friends house, and from what I saw Lu Bu was soooo....unimposing. Of course you're going to be feared if all people do is run around and circles screaming your name as you casually off them.

**Morathi's Darkest Sin**

Dynasty Warriors 2 is where Lu Bu was at.. its all gone downhill for him since then.

**murdog**

To me, its part of the same thing we've seen all year long, all around the world, from Madison to Moscow. Democracy is moving faster and faster. People are waking up. I think we are nearing a critical mass, if we haven't passed it already, and within my lifetime I believe we will see major changes in the way we run this world. Our trajectory is unsustainable, our leaders unable to make change. Our technology allows for unprecedented possibilities of horizontal organization, and makes the suppression of information very difficult. The multitude will reach out and seize power from the few who would threaten the planet itself, and our very existence, with senseless war and sickening greed.

As for China, over 100 million have quit the Chinese Communist Party, one of the peaceful strategies of activism in that country.

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/china-news/100-million-chinese-cut-ties-with-the-communist-party-60078.html

**Kilkrazy**

Nice to see we are back on politics.

It saves having to move the thread to Video Game Discussions.

**Pacific**

WARORK93 wrote:

It is good to see that there is some backbone in the Russian people...I really cant say more than that based on their history of government change though...

'more backbone' ? I'm struggling to think of any people, barring perhaps the obvious one, who have had a harder time of it in modern history.

**purplefood**

Skarwael wrote:Doubt that it'll change anything. It's not like their government is going to admit corruption, even if it's blatantly obvious.

When in doubt deny it to the hilt.

**Relapse**

WARORK93 wrote:And they will know that the workers have risen for unity and equality comrades!

/sarcasm

It is good to see that there is some backbone in the Russian people...I really cant say more than that based on their history of government change though...

Dude, have you ever read any Russian history? Stalingrad would be a good starting point...

**Monster Rain**

The Chinese don't protest and the Russians have no backbone. This is a mighty educational thread.

To think that they say the American public education system is inadequate.

**WARORK93**

.

**Jihadin**

Dude, have you ever read any Russian history? Stalingrad would be a good starting point...

They didn't really have a choice when Stalin pretty much gave the order no one's to withdraw from that focal point.

**sebster**

Snrub wrote:I wonder how long it will take for the populace of China to start taking a stand against their govenment. If they do at all. Credit where credits due though, the Chinese govenment seems to have a strong stranglehold on all activisim. At least thats how it appears to me from what ive seen on the news.

During the GFC China suffered immediate, and incredible levels of job loss. The riots that followed left most dwarfed anything protest in the OWS movement. People died.

Automatically Appended Next Post:

WARORK93 wrote:It is good to see that there is some backbone in the Russian people...I really cant say more than that based on their history of government change though...

I have a writer friend who's dream is to write a complete history of Russia, from Ivan the Terrible to the rise of Putin, and call it "The History of the Russian People; Somehow it gets Worse".

It's a brilliantly simple summary of Russian history. I mean, you finally see a unified Russia and all the benefits that should accrue from a powerful nation... simply don't happen, and instead you get more and more rigid control. The Tsars are overthrown and you think the Russians can finally move into the 20th century, but the provisional government is overthrown and you get a communist government that incredibly is much worse than the Tsarist regime. After 70 odd years of communist rule you get, miracle of all miracles, an almost entirely bloodless collapse of the Soviet regime. But that just leads to Yeltsin and then to Putin, keeping all the problems of oligarchy, except now there's not even a need to keep up a pretence of giving a gak about the working man, and you see outright corruption and theft of national assets, while the poor just get poorer.