So, at first sight Sunday march seemed to look as usual: remarkable faces of the participants, press, camera, blocked streets and avenues, metal detectors, OMON, cops' helicopter cracking somewhere next to the right foot of Pushkin... Ecologists acting against arrest of members of Green Peace, Chapayev’s daughter gathering money for Udaltsov...
A small group of orthodox devoutly prayed next to the fontain, probably, sending God's penalty on freethinking citizens. Heavenly forces came to be widely used. Myriads of combatants all along a route also shocked. There’s such an impression that the whole collective farms were collected to be present at the event. The desire to ask what they were doing there appeared? OMON, clear thing, work for money and what about you? To get smile of your chief? Or you are afraid not to get the award in the quarter? However, to fight one people by means of the other is habitual thing for our power.
Different thing amazed. All procession from Pushkin Square to Turgenevskaya Square, interrupted occasionally by chants "Putin, Go to Prison” reminded funeral procession or retreat of Napoleon’s army as it show at cinema. The army went silently, dishonored commanders kept mum and it was clear to all – that’s all, finite la comedia, it’s the last tango in Paris.
If to be honest, I didn't think that everything would come to end so disgracefully. I remember that nearly two years ago, after the first meeting on Bolotnaya Square I published article "Don’t Lean on" where I wrote that people who gathered were remarkable, while their leaders were bullshit, impostors and easy riders, you wouldn’t go anywhere with them. You would find yourself nowhere in fact. Freedom isn't necessary to them, they are ok without it. I don’t believe too much in magic power of the word, but I fondly hoped that many would listen to me, such idea – leave us alone! – was in the air.
I thought, they would get ashamed and leave. Or they would be kicked out. They didn't leave and were not kicked out, though there were attempts. They went and spoke and climbed the tribunes and TV as cockroaches, they spoiled all media space with their shitty rhymes and books, they dirtied all Internet with meetings, gatherings, with their advises to opposition and idle talk. While people obediently participated in meetings hoping for changes, they earned money, popularity and plum jobs. If the power wanted to ruin protest movement which should appear after 20 years of lawlessness, it couldn't pick up for this purpose characters better, than all those ponomarevs, bykovs, gudkovs, akunins and further on. I remove my hat before the Kremlin.
The main thing is that they are not ashamed even today. They came to that last meeting just as if nothing had happened marched together with decent people whom they pulled the wool over the eyes for two years, sat for press and pretended that they were still leaders.
While many OMON fighters, not all, but many, turned away at the sight of camera, maybe, it was conscience. Even if it’s not so, all the same it’s positive: we know from movies about hostages that if they hide faces, we still have chance to survive.
