Navalny calls for daily anti-war protests, terms Putin ‘insane czar’
Tells Russians to “not become a nation of frightened silent people”
Tells Russians to “not become a nation of frightened silent people”
Tells Russians to “not become a nation of frightened silent people”
Tells Russians to “not become a nation of frightened silent people”
Jailed Russian opposition activist Alexey Navalny on Wednesday called on people in his country to stage daily protests against the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
His spokesperson Kira Yarmysh informed on Twitter “Alexei Navalny has called for people to go out and protest against the war every day at 19:00 (7pm local time) and on weekends at 14:00 (2pm). The main squares of your towns, wherever you are.”
Navalny's Twitter handle carried his message. Navalny declared Russia wants to be “a nation of peace” but “few people would call us that now”.
Navalny called on Russians to “not become a nation of frightened silent people” and referred to Russian President Vladimir Putin as “our obviously insane czar”. Navalny declared “I call on everyone to take to the streets and fight for peace. Putin is not Russia. And if there is anything in Russia right now that you can be most proud of, it is those 6,824 people who were detained because—without any call—they took to the streets with placards saying 'No War'.”
Navalny called on Russians living overseas to protest in front of the country's embassies.
“But we must, gritting our teeth and overcoming fear, come out and demand an end to the war. Each arrested person must be replaced by two newcomers. If in order to stop the war we have to fill prisons and paddy wagons with ourselves, we will fill prisons and paddy wagons with ourselves.”
On Monday, Navalny appealed to Russians to undertake acts of civil disobedience in protest against the war in Ukraine.
Navalny, a strident critic of Putin, has accused the president of ordering agents to poison him. In August 2020, Navalny collapsed on a flight over Siberia. He was rushed to Germany for treatment. German investigators found Navalny was poisoned with Novichok, a chemical agent. He was arrested on his return to Russia and in February 2021 was jailed for three-and-half years for violating conditions of a suspended sentence in a fraud case. His critics and human rights activists had decried the cases against Navalny as being a witch hunt.