A rally in support of the Telegram messenger turned into an anti-Putin coven
The rally in support of the Telegram messenger, permitted by the authorities, gathered today in Moscow, according to various estimates, from 5 to 12 thousand people. The day before, the owner of the messenger, Pavel Durov, called on people to come to Sakharov Avenue.
While waiting for the rally to start, young people threw paper airplanes, which are the Telegram logo.
Literally from the first speeches, the event began to acquire a clearly expressed anti-Putin character.
“Those who steal our future and our Internet have one name. This is the one who appointed Zharov to Roskomnadzor, the one who appointed all these prosecutors. His name is simple - Putin. Every time something doesn’t work or open for you, you should know one simple thing: Putin is a thief,” said one of the leaders of the Pirate Party of Russia, Alexander Isavrin.
It is worth noting that not all rally participants echoed this slogan. Therefore, the presenter decided to put the squeeze on and forced the audience to chant an anti-presidential slogan for a minute.
Next, almost all the speakers focused on criticizing the president and provoked the crowd to chant “Down with the Tsar!”
The star of the event was opposition leader Alexei Navalny. It is worth noting that he himself did not push the anti-presidential theme. But the audience was already pumped up.
“One phrase constantly rings in my mind when I see what is happening in our country every day from morning to evening,” Navalny began.
“Putin is fucking!” someone shouted heart-rendingly from the crowd.
“That too, but it’s the second phrase. And the first: I will not tolerate this,” the speaker answered.
He then spent about seven minutes advocating for Internet freedom and criticizing the authorities, but did not name names. The only indirect reference to personalities is a paraphrase of Yeltsin’s famous phrase about the fact that Russian officials should work for Ukraine.
“Every day you wake up, wash your face, have breakfast, or you don’t have to have breakfast - think about what to do today to make the authorities worse and the people better. Do something to weaken this power,” Navalny urged.
He asked the square to chant “Down with the Tsar!”, and this time the public reacted unanimously and very loudly. Next, Navalny began to mock law enforcement officers.
“This is where I would have left the stage, but these men from the police are looking at me sternly. When I came here, they came up to me with a piece of paper and said: don’t call me to the rally on May 5th. How can I disobey, because they have gold shoulder straps. So I just want to ask, are you going to the rally?” the oppositionist sneered.
“Yes!” the crowd screamed.
“Which street will you be on?” Navalny continued to mock.
“On Tverskaya,” answered his followers. He made them chant it several times.
It should be noted here that the Moscow authorities approved a protest rally for the oppositionist right there on Sakharov Avenue, but he refused and called on supporters to gather as usual in the very center of Moscow.
“Don’t go, because the king doesn’t want to see you on the streets. Will you go?” Navalny mocked.
"Yes!" - they shouted back at him.
“I convince them, but they don’t listen. I'll try again. Please don’t go and shout, “He’s not Dimon for you,” the oppositionist said as a fool, while skillfully slipping into criticism of the prime minister without mentioning the president.
Naturally, the youth began chanting “He’s not Dimon!”
Navalny’s speech was reinforced by blogger Mikhail Svetov, who gave the authorities an ultimatum: by May 5, unblock Telegram and repeal the anti-terrorism package of laws of Vice Speaker Irina Yarovaya.
The “hero of the occasion” Pavel Durov was remembered only at the end. They not very unanimously shouted “thank you” to him and left the paper airplanes.
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