Thousands of protesters assemble after Putin`s election win

Thousands of demonstrators for and against newly elected Russian President Vladimir Putin staged nighttime “confrontational protests” Monday in areas around the Kremlin, the center of supreme political power, in Moscow.

Anti-Putin forces planned to set up tents and hold a sit-in rally, only to be dismissed by riot police. Western media said the “Occupy Moscow" demonstration proved unsuccessful but left room for rekindling flames.

Anti-Putin protesters started to assemble at Pushkin Square, about 700 meters off the exterior of the Kremlin, around 6:30 p.m. Monday. They pinned “white ribbons” on their chests symbolizing the opposition camp, which urged a “fair election,” a campaign that emerged after suspicions was raised over irregularities in the general elections in December.

On both sides of the road leading to the rallies, anti-demonstration vehicles looking like armored vehicles were on standby under lights, but stopped short of blocking protesters from participating in the demonstration.

A campaign to hold a “rally Monday, the next day after the election” had been promoted for a time, so supporters of the opposition camp nearly filled the square to capacity in a matter of minutes. Opposition leaders elbowed through the masses to take the stage.

The organizers estimated the number of protesters at more than 20,000. Placards and banners reading “To ensure fair elections” were placed at a movie theater by Pushkin Square. The official assembly started at 7:20 p.m. Vladimir Ryzhkov, the leader of the opposition camp, chanted, “We urge the government to hold general and presidential elections again.”

Former chess champion Garry Kasparov, now a liberal opposition leader, said, “What Putin shed yesterday was not tears but Botox,” adding, “Let’s erase the puddle of Botox on the Russian map.”

The rally culminated with a speech by Alexey Navalni, a famed blogger with nationalist ideology. “We have a vote, and we the people here are the power,” he said.

Then the crowd responded by chanting “We are the power,” then Navali said, “We will continue to take to the streets and will not leave.”

Once in a while, some people chanted, “We want Russia without Putin.”

When a statement was made to announce the rally`s conclusion around 8:30 p.m., protesters started to install tents throughout the plaza. Thousands of people chanted, “We won`t leave here.”

At this point, however, police and anti-terror elite troops were deployed to the site of the rally. Some 10 leaders including Sergei Udalchov, the leader of the Leftist Frontier, were arrested, while hundreds of others were taken away by police.

Certain protesters resisted arrest, saying “Stop using violence,” but no significant physical clashes occurred.

Others moved to Tverskaya Street toward north of Pushkin Square and held a street march. Still others surrounded the Kremlin and attempted to form a human chain, only to be arrested.

The opposition camp vowed to hold rallies in downtown Moscow again Saturday.

Around 6 p.m. Monday at Manesh Square near the Kremlin, Nashu, a pro-Putin youth organization, held a rally in support of Putin. They chanted through megaphones, “Let’s preserve Putin’s victory” amid loud music that overwhelmed vehicle noise.

The mass of pro-Putin demonstrators, whose organizers claim to have exceeded 40,000 in number, quietly disassembled around 8 p.m.

viyonz@donga.com