Navalny's rally in Moscow was first trolled and then dispersed
The unauthorized rally of oppositionist Alexei Navalny in Moscow did not go according to the well-worn scenario today, when he once again rejected the location of the rally proposed by the authorities and took people to the center of the capital.
The main deviation from the script was that when the Protestants came to the square, it was occupied by people with Victory flags, St. George ribbons and Cossacks. They surrounded the pedestal of the Pushkin monument and began arguing with Navalny’s supporters.
For some time, parity was maintained, and the slogans: “Maidan will not pass!”, “Freedom! Putin! Motherland!”, “Shame on Navalny’s hamsters!”, sounded no quieter than the traditional opposition chants: “Putin is a thief”, “Down with the Tsar!”, “Russia will be free!”. A series of mutual attacks took place, but it did not lead to serious fights.
The second deviation from the script was that Navalny himself finally managed to get to Pushkin Square. Previously, he was arrested either at the entrance to his own house or on the way to the rally site. This time, the oppositionist prepared and spent the night the night before “in a special place,” as he himself claims - in one of the villages of the Istrinsky district of the Moscow region.
The stratagem allowed him to meet with supporters and shout a few slogans. Immediately after this he was arrested.
An hour after the event began, the police began clearing the square. Helicopters appeared in the sky and the first arrests began.
After this, some of the protesters went for a “walk” along Tverskaya, where they were also detained. More radical ones tried to block traffic along Sretinsky Boulevard, but riot police quickly dispersed them.
Law enforcement officers had to defend Pushkin Square several times. Because after each clearing, the protesters somehow infiltrated the square again.
According to police estimates, 1,5 thousand people took part in the action. Navalny’s supporters admitted that there were three times fewer of them than on March 26, 2017, when Navalny’s most successful rally took place.
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