Russian police arrest protesters at nationwide anti-corruption rallies

MOSCOW — A wave of unsanctioned rallies swept across Russia on Sunday to protest corruption in the government of President Vladi­mir Putin, prompting arrests as hundreds of riot officers moved in to break up crowds.

The protests are driven by opposition leader Alexei Navalny and fueled by the popular response to his recent allegations that Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has amassed vineyards, luxury yachts and lavish mansions worth more than $1 billion.

Navalny, the chief architect of the rallies, was detained in Moscow shortly after they began at 2 p.m. local time. Thousands came out on Moscow’s central Tverskaya street for the unsanctioned protests and were met by a heavy police presence.

Russian police arrest protesters at nationwide anti-corruption rallies

It's interesting to note how the Washington Post article somewhat mirrors RT's article at first, but then gets a little juicier.

Here's the RT link, which is obviously pro-Putin: RT Link

ABC's story line a little less Pro-Putin: ABC Link

I first saw this story on Reddit, here's the link: Reddit Link

If you scroll down a bit, there was a poster that was following the events on Periscope and noting what he saw/learned.

Here's what he had to say:

I'm watching on Periscope.
20 people have been arrested in Moscow so far, 3 minutes into the scheduled time of the protest.
edit: Navalny has been arrested. Police van containing Navalny has been surrounded by protesters. People chanting "Russia will be free."
People started rocking the van and Navalny asked them to let the van go, saying to stay peaceful and that he'd be back soon. I hope so!
edit: police in Moscow are now on the loudspeaker telling people to leave or they can't be responsible for their safety. Riot police closing in. Putin is scared (yes, he is, you don't send that many police after denying people the right to protest in the first place if he wasn't concerned things could get out of hand. No color revolution is happening under his watch or so he hopes)

I flipped through the cable news channels and didn't see a mention of any of this. Didn't see anything on ATS so thought I'd post. Not really sure what to make of it. It reminds me that with all of the American accusations of Russian hacking the election, I've yet to see a story of how the average Russian citizen feels about the accusations.

Recently some South American countries have experienced similar mass protests, including Brazil. It seems that the Arab Spring has spread outside the Arab world. People are sick of all the corruption. I forgot to mention Korea as well. I just hope it turns out better than it did for the countries in the Middle East/Northern Africa.

a reply to: TobyFlenderson

I watched a bit of the demonstrations, very heavy handed with some of the protesters and very reminiscent of similar rallies around Europe and the U.S.

I am grateful to Russia for the Russia Today news network, but until the corruption of that country is eliminated, they are no better than the U.S. and other European countries, it is sickening that politicians get so rich at the expense of the people of their own country.

a reply to: Zcustosmorum

Don't be naive, no country can or will even be bothered to fully route corruption. Honestly these illegal protests were just like the Soros funded ones here in the states. The difference here is that the Russians will not allow them to get out of hand and pillage and loot local communities the way traitorous mayors and police chiefs in the US did.

FYI, you need to file for permission and approval for a mass demonstration in pretty much all jurisdictions in the USA as well. Just a handful of people holding signs, no that can be done spontaneously anywhere. But when you are intentionally gathering and communicating to hundreds or thousands of people in a coordinated effort to maximize the presence of some particular agenda or protest, you always need approval. That goes for the USA or Russia. Not China, they just run you over with tanks.

Russia is being responsible and preventing unauthorized political events from turning into the pillage and loot of local communities the way seditious mayors and police chiefs allowed in places like Baltimore, Ferguson, Portland, DC, and may other instances.

There was a time when Americans did not allow rioting and violence over fears of not being PC. That time has returned. We do not allow the criminals to run our streets by hiding behind the First. Russia looks like they don't put up with it either.

a reply to: worldstarcountry

Russia is being responsible and preventing unauthorized political events from turning into the pillage and loot of local communities the way seditious mayors and police chiefs allowed in places like Baltimore, Ferguson, Portland, DC, and may other instances.

I can guess from that comment that you didn't even bother to watch it, it was an organized and very orderly event, aside from groups of riot cops entering the crowd and picking out victims to arrest.

Additionally, I struggle to see the old women present there today running around throwing Molotov cocktails at police cars and shops.

a reply to: worldstarcountry

Your authoritarian is showing.

a reply to: Zcustosmorum

I am grateful to Russia for the Russia Today news network, but until the corruption of that country is eliminated, they are no better than the U.S. and other European countries,

That's an interesting sentiment. I've yet to see a government or any organization of significant size comprised of human beings that doesn't have corruption (welcome to human behavior) but to say a) that you're grateful for state-run media outlets whose editors have a physical direct line to the Kremlin and b) that "they [the Russian government] are no better" than the US or EU countries seems to be ignoring the extraordinary levels of corruption in the Russian government, from the top down.

originally posted by: theantediluvian
a reply to: Zcustosmorum

I am grateful to Russia for the Russia Today news network, but until the corruption of that country is eliminated, they are no better than the U.S. and other European countries,

That's an interesting sentiment. I've yet to see a government or any organization of significant size comprised of human beings that doesn't have corruption (welcome to human behavior) but to say a) that you're grateful for state-run media outlets whose editors have a physical direct line to the Kremlin and b) that "they [the Russian government] are no better" than the US or EU countries seems to be ignoring the extraordinary levels of corruption in the Russian government, from the top down.

Not at all, when you have billionaire politicians, the corruption must be rife.

And on the first point, when it comes to Western news, the most reliable source is Russia Today, for obvious reasons. I don't deny however that Russia Today may have Kremlin rules on domestic stories.

a reply to: TobyFlenderson

God bless them. It takes real courage to protest over there. Unfortunately we are looking at the same authoritarian response if we keep going the way we are, especially with our Administration beholden to Putin.

a reply to: TobyFlenderson

ABC's story line a little less Pro-Putin:

Puttin' down protesters that protest putin, or...

...puttin up with protesters puttin' down putin.

Some dilemma, safe thing for the western MSM to do is ignore it.

a reply to: Zcustosmorum

ALL the violent protests in America in the last two years started peacefully as well. Do you address that none of these were approved or authorized???

If anyone here believes somehow believes that no protests are allowed in Russia, I would say they have been brainwashed without researching. Russians protest all the time, probably as much as Americans. They end fairly similarly too. If they become violent or are unauthorized, the police put it down.



Even gay activists are protected by the police for their right to demonstrate.

Anyone who tries to spin that last video as proof of Russia's intolerance, well guess what? Happens here too.

The best way to distract you from our leaders dirt is to deflect to another state's actions, which ironically are pretty much no different than those here.

Russia and the USA are mostly the same country when it comes to right of protests. Its gotten worse here, because the traitors have figured out how to turn the citizens against each other to silence voices without holding the government culpable. Freedom of speech is a joke at Universities, unless of course you spout the hatred of George Soros and the destruction of America, thats ok.

a reply to: intrptr

Political protesters putting down President Putin earn plaudits from the press.

Lets look at the Russian neighbors which have recently made such great relations with the NATO and EU.



This is what political suppression of free speech looks like. Death in the streets, civilians burned alive by militant NAZI's allied with the new government. This was 2014 and is still ongoing today.

a reply to: worldstarcountry

The leader of this movement is an outspoken critic of Putin. He's been brought up and convicted of corruption charges which were later overturned as being trumped up. He was then accused of a lesser charge and was again convicted of it and given a suspended sentence. Certainly not a harsh penalty, but it eliminates him from being able to run for President, which he'd intended on doing.

According to reports, several of the protests across the country did obtain prior approval. The protests in Moscow were applied for but rejected and alternate areas were designated for the protest by the government. The protesters went to the area, which has great symbolic meaning, that they had originally requested. I'm not sure of the actual name of the square, however many call it the square of 3 revolutions. Maybe it's now the 4th.

As to riots and looting breaking out at American protests, I can't agree with you. Free speech is messy, freedom is messy. If you want clean streets with no graffiti, etc., you will be in a place with no rights. Why I certainly detest the crimes to which you refer, it is a necessary evil at times, particularly when the governed feel as if they have no voice.

Well, people are protesting for a reason. Russia is a corrupt country. From the bottom-level petty corruption of officials, the police and business right to the top with judicial and state-level corruption.

The people know it.

There is a reason why Russia has so many billionaires, and why these surround buzz around Putin.

Transparency International

originally posted by: TobyFlenderson
a reply to: intrptr

Political protesters putting down President Putin earn plaudits from the press.

The 7 'P's of piss poor journalism.

What free press, right?

a reply to: paraphi

SO what is the reason America has so many billionaires?? Did we not j7st expose a bunch of bottom level corruption here last yer as well, such as the Chicago PD using illegal rendition sites where suspects died in custody, to the Michigan State government covering up poisoning of the citizens water supply??

Seems like a rather great example of bottom up corruption in the USA as well.

I admit Russia has corruption. I just don't point it out as if it is exclusive or worse than the American corruption, you know the corruption that actually affects us.

a reply to: TobyFlenderson

I like graffiti. Burning down small businesses of the local community and attacking random innocent civilians with violence because of political affiliation or skin color, or sexuality is not a necessary evil at all. That is not protesting, it is speech suppression, possibly terrorism in many cases, and overall pointless criminals exploiting the vacuum of law created by seditious mayors and police chiefs.

What I get from your POV, is that the violence against the homosexuals in both videos I posted, Russian and American, is ok. That violence against innocent light skinned people in many of the BLM protests is necessary evil. I do no agree with you. Looks like we will both have to respectfully disagree in our interpretations of many of these events.

originally posted by: worldstarcountry
SO what is the reason America has so many billionaires??

Business. The US is no where near corrupt as Russia, but feel free to believe that while remembering the mantra of ATS is to "deny ignorance".

All Russian billionaires have been created in the last 25 years. Many surround Putin and benefit from deals handed out by Putin. Even Putin - a lowly paid state official - is reportedly a multi-billionaire.

a reply to: paraphi

The US is no where near corrupt as Russia,

oh man that was pretty funny. our very modern economic system is based on a 100 year old fraud perpetrated by billionaires, traitorous representatives, and a gutless President from 1913. And then, it got reinforced by more corruption and theft of citizen's wealth in 1934, and then again in 1973. That is only the corruption that deals with our finance and taxation. Do we really need to get into the dozens of outright destruction's of whole civilizations and society over the last 70 years and the corruption and lies in VERY HIGH and LOW places that were required to make that happen??

Please man, try harder. Russia is corrupt, America corrupt, China, UK, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Latvia, Luxembourg, Chad, Zimbabwe, ALL THE way down the line of UN and non UN member states.

Anyone who focuses exclusively on one has willingly given in to brainwashing.

Bet its a Soros protest. Because that is most likely kind that are occurring!