|
Police-state is not the same state that is fascist state. Russia before April 14, 2007 was a police state, but it became a fascist state after brutal suppression of "March of Dissenters" on April 14 in Moscow, and April 15 in St. Petersburg. I went through both of them.
On the morning of April 14 center of Moscow was looking like a military camp. Army vehicles, columns of special forces. Passersby were severely scrutinized by soldiers and police officers. Suspected to be dissenters were dragged out almost immediately. I met Garry Kasparov at about 11:30 am near Zubovsky Bulvar. Mikhail Kasyanov was blocked somewhere, so we have decided to go at Pushkinskaya Ploschad, where we have announced dissenters should meet. On telephone we have received an information that biggest group of dissenters have concentrated itself near Museum of Revolution on Tverskaya Ulitsa. We decided to go there. Kasparov's car have passed across the street on yellow light, so a car with me and my security people have arrived to the place of destination near Museum of Revolution with few minutes delay. I saw Kasparov surrounded by police special forces soldiers. Other soldiers were running towards Kasparov. One of Kasparov's security people saw my car and me in it, ready to get out, so he signaled me with his hands, "No, don't go out!"
I didn't get out of my car, to be taken prisoner at 11:50 am.
Following two hours were filled with an attempts to get through police forces in order to get to metro station Turgenevskaya, where authorities have permitted to have a protest. At one moment, waiting to meet Kasyanov and his security people on Trubnaya Ploschad, I saw a column of dissenters marching from Pushkinskaya. It was a crowd about 800 people, and it was headed by...my wife, Katya Volkova. I didn't expected to see her, I was sure she is staying home with our baby. But she wanted to look at fascist state in its brutal face.
I have joined the column, walking rapidly to meet Katya. But huge column of police forces cars have arrived at crossroad of Rozhdestvensky Bulvar and Rozhdestvenka Street. Gorilla-looking soldiers were jumping out of their vehicles. They are furiously attacked dissenters. Women, children, elderly people were severely beaten up. Behind us on Trubnaya Ploschad other brutes, wearing uniforms, were running as a poison-green wave in order to surround us. We have run to only one not-yet closed street -- to Neglinnaya. We were pursued by the group of uniformed brutes, as well as plain-clothes police, as my face is known well to every police officer of Russia.
To be short, my security people have been fighting for my liberty these times. But we couldn't reach metro Turgenevskaya. Last time I was identified inside of taxi cab, so again we were forced to run for our liberty. It was real hunt on me.
After 2pm we decided to drive to St. Petersburg. We have driven a car during 15 hours, choosing lost roads of Pskovskaya and Novgorodskaya oblasti. Finally at 5 in the morning we have reached St. Petersburg. We slept in the car, five of us. When we have awakened, we realized that we have parked our car in the epicenter of police force concentration, in hundred meters of Pionerskaya Ploschad, where St. Petersburg march of dissenters should took place. So policemen were walking around our car, probably believing that we are group of plain-clothes police also.
Twenty minutes after twelve we have moved towards Pionerskaya Ploschad. Attitude of police officers towards me here in St. Petersburg was totally different from attitude of Moscow police. They let me in through their police lines. When we were about to cross last line, one of policemen said loudly, "Let in Edward Limonov, he's one of organizers of protest!" So, they let me in. It was about four thousand dissenters, tightly packed inside of enormous police circle. Those dissenters who were not admitted on ploschad were pushed to metro station, through corridor made of soldiers of special police forces. Maxim Resnik, Sergei Guliaev, deputy of St. Petersburg Duma Amosov of "Yabloko" were there, as well as Marina Litvinovich and Alexander Riklin of United Civic Front. I pronounced my speech, I said that March of Dissenters took place in Moscow, yesterday despite the brutal police beatings. I also named four political demands of dissenters: resignation of President Putin and his government; free elections of December 2007 with participation of all political parties including NBP; creation of coalition government; and finally free presidential elections in March 2008, with participation of candidate from "Drugaya Rossiya."
Pages:
Previous 1 2 Next
Print Share article
|
