State Duma (lower house of the parliament) speaker Boris Gryzlov, who is also the leader of ruling party United Russia (Edinaya Rossia), opposed against anti-government march scheduled on April, 14. Earlier he had told that “the parliament is not a place for discussions”, now he extended his idea and told, that there is no place for discussions on streets either.
Gryzlov announced, that participants of the march could be “sucked into provocation” and swept up into violence. He is generally against any demonstrations designed to express a point of view on what is happening in Russia. “One can use mass media or representatives in different political organizations, in legislative bodies both on federal and on local levels” - said Gryzlov, also known between the opposition as “android”. "I believe they should be festive in nature, when people take to the street and celebrate certain events," Gryzlov said, but, according to him, actions that can “create political instability” are dangerous.
That an official of high rank declares “expressions of opinion” on streets to be dangerous, is quite an appropriate continuation of the Moscow authorities’ decree that prohibits any independent meetings and demonstrations. A week ago Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov signed an edict which introduced a specific quota: no more than 2 demonstrators per one square meter are allowed. Besides that, any meetings near historical sites are prohibited; all meetings and demonstrations, or “any gathering of people” must be approved by the Moscow Duma.
It seems that Gryzlov paves the way for similar toughening of procedure of conduct of any mass events all over the Russia.
How can it be, that the speaker of the parliament, leader of the ruling party doesn’t know that under the Constitution of the Russian Federation all citizens have right to provide meetings and any gatherings if they don’t initiate national, religious or any other dissension or propagandize violence and war? Or Gryzlov prefers to use his own rules according to which neither parliament nor streets are places for discussions? His next rule, being relevant in 2008, may sounds as follows: “Russia is not a place for elections.
”It is noticeable that when Gryzlov opposes a freedom of gathering, his “colleague” Mironov opposes against another article of the Constitution, which concerns terms of presidency.
Some days before meeting, the City Office of Public Prosecutor warned the leader of the Popular Democratic Union Mikhail Kasyanov and the leader of the party, which must-not-be-named, Eduard Limonov against participation in the illegal march. Some organizers of the demonstration were detained. Special-tasks police units (OMON) from all the country were drawn up to Moscow.
The Pushkin square where the demonstration is to take place has been already fenced. Moscow police warned that all attempts of unapproved actions would be suppressed. In response the organizations of the meeting told that the authorities provoked street clashes, gathering regional units in the capital.
At the same time the Guardian published an interview with Boris Berezovsky. A Russian oligarch has told that “he is plotting the violent overthrow of President Putin from his base in Britain after forging close contacts with members of Russia's ruling elite.” "We need to use force to change this regime," he said. "It isn't possible to change this regime through democratic means. There can be no change without force, pressure." Asked if he was effectively fomenting a revolution, he said: "You are absolutely correct."
The Guardian expresses an opinion that Berezovsky is simply trying to enrage the Kremlin and spoil relations between Moscow and London. But it is also possible that he is wants to cause suspicions in the Kremlin and provokes a witch-hunt. Thus, a political expert Vladimir Pribylovsky has told in an interview to polit.ru that “Berezovsky wants to take occasion and to blow the fire in the Kremlin using the atmosphere of total distrust”.
In a certain sense Berezovsky and Gryslov are trying to achieve one common result: to cause a “force scenario” in the country.
