"We exist, there are many of us, we are in Russia, and we are alive": A mass picket in defense of freedom of speech took place in Kazan.
One of the picket participants told NeMoskva that the event had been coordinated with local authorities: it was organized by activists from the Youth Yabloko party.
— Guys in the age range from 15 to 20 years old who communicate with each other, — the subscriber clarified.
According to her, a total of 30 people took part in the protest. They were observed by six officers from the counter-extremism center, five or six patrol police officers, and two security officers in camouflage. Several more people in camouflage were sitting in the police van but never emerged.
One of the posters was dedicated to detainee the day before to the editor-in-chief Ryazan editions of "Side View" To Konstantin SmirnovSecurity forces made no claims against him. However, the poster with Navalny's photo had to be removed.
— The employees of the “E” center copied the data of participants they did not know, — a subscriber said. — There was a free food distribution going on nearby as part of someone's regular activity—the elderly people who went there were taunting us with things like, "How much are you getting paid for this? Why are we rocking the boat?"
The picket lasted an hour and passed without any arrests. Nevertheless, the "NeMoskva" subscriber believes that freedom of speech in Russia is still nonexistent.
“I understand that getting approval for a picket (not even a rally) is an incredible miracle,” she said. — Yes, most of us would like to speak out more clearly, concisely, and to the point. But we understand that in the current reality, this is simply impossible. They give it this way—we'll do it this way. We exist, there are many of us, we are in Russia, and we are alive.
In addition, several pickets took place today in NovosibirskThey were dedicated illegal construction historical places and compliance Constitution. Pickets in support of the journalist were also held in Novosibirsk. Maria Ponomarenko, sentenced to six years for "fakes" about the army, and a St. Petersburg activist Lena Pyateva, who was detained this week for picketing to demand an investigation into the kidnapping of her friend Sedy Suleimanova.