"There Can Be No Revolutions in Russia Today. All
the 'breakthroughs', 'onslaughts', and unauthorized demonstrations
are dangerous provocations deprived of any political meaning
or goal"
I am appealing to my supporters, to all the citizens who,
after March 4, are planning to participate in the mass rallies,
and also to all Russia's opposition political leaders - we
must do everything to avoid violence and bloodshed, we must
not yield to possible provocative actions by the authorities,
we must not permit unleashing of a civil war in the country.
I am appealing to all the opposition political leaders who
are organising protest actions and inviting people to join
them: if violence takes place during these days, it will lead
to dramatic weakening of the opposition and will cause a long-lasting
setback. It is our responsibility and our task to avert violence
and prevent provocations. In complex and unpredictable circumstances,
in dealing with the authorities who most often do not want
any compromises on the substance of the matter and who at
the same time possess great experience and traditions of political
reprisals, it is possible to preserve people's trust only
by avoiding and preventing violence in every way and at the
same time advancing steadily toward the goal - peaceful radical
transformation of the authoritarian, inoperative and inhuman
political system.
The basis of the first success for many years, achieved by
the civil society in the past three months, is the peaceful,
lawful nature of the actions. To reinforce and develop this
success while remaining within this framework is difficult
work, but dramatic escalation of tension and rejection of
nonviolence as a key priority will inevitably lead to defeat.
There can be no revolutions in Russia today. All the "breakthroughs,"
"onslaughts," unauthorized demonstrations and other
PR events devised by some individuals and putting lives and
health of citizens who are outraged at the injustices and
lies at risk represent dangerous provocations deprived of
any political meaning or goal in the conditions that have
taken shape.
On the contrary, we should prove to all our potential supporters
that we can be trusted and that we clearly understand the
aims and goals of the democratic protest movement not as our
own self-expression but as the defence of the interests of
citizens who vitally need large-scale, serious and responsible
changes in Russia. Only in this case will the number of our
supporters throughout the country become ever greater. Only
by following this path will we become responsible spokesmen
for the opinion of a significant section of Russian society.
The vote of March 4 and its results should be treated with
a sober understanding of their place in our socio-political
life. This event may have an extremely high emotional charge
that in certain conditions could give it political significance,
but the actual procedure of elections conceived as uncontested
has almost nothing to do with this, the actual meaning of
the event is incommensurately small to start a serious battle
over the result. An exhausting battle over the results of
the "election without a choice" is not worth risking
the future. It is much more important to preserve the potential,
the political initiative, to preserve and develop the interest
of many people in politics, to maintain not only the thrust
of the protests but also constructive objectives. We should
think about meaningful formulation of a new political agenda
and the promotion of qualitatively new initiatives in the
interests of the society.
It’s just the beginning of the way! Everything lies ahead!
See also:
The
original publication
Presidential
Elections 2012
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