Thousands Of Anti-Putin Protesters Flood Moscow, 15 Other Russian Cities Saturday

Frances MartelDec 10th, 2011, 9:03 am

Vladimir Putin‘s potential return to the Russian presidency is being met with more than a little resistance by many in the nation. The AP reports that Saturday saw protests of thousands in Moscow against United Russia, Putin’s party, and at least fifteen other cities, with protesters chanting in some cities “Putin is a louse” and alleging voter fraud in an election where the former president’s party won about 50% of the vote.

While United Russia’s loss of its longtime majority in the legislature was seen as a blow to the party of current president Dmitry Medvedev, their victory, the AP reports, was still seen as fraudulent by many, as many cited reports of widespread violations in electoral law. The AP report notes that the Moscow protest hosted anywhere between 25,000 to 40,000 people, many of whom were both upset about the elections as much as the state of the nation. Authorities permitted a protest as large as 30,000 people, and arrest numbers were low.

The AP report notes that Moscow was not the only places in Russia seeing large protests, but 15 other cities, including ones on the Pacific coast, hosted protests. The government, the report explains, is not only permitting protests (though made Saturday a “mandatory extra school day,” preventing many students from attending) but admitting that there might be something to protest about:

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev conceded this week that election law may have been violated and Putin suggested “dialogue with the opposition-minded” – breaking from his usual authoritarian image. The Kremlin has come under strong international pressure, with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton calling the vote unfair and urging an investigation into fraud. Putin in turn criticized Clinton and the United States for allegedly instigating protests and trying to undermine Russia.

The Telegraph live-blogged the protests from Moscow overnight as well, and captured some stirring images. Also notable in this protest movement is the voice of former leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who has expressed concern about the legitimacy of the election results and called for annulling these elections and redoing the endeavor, to restore public trust. Whether these protests will continue to gain momentum remains to be seen, but their widespread nature suggests potential longevity.