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“We are the Navy” Flowers are placed next to a photo of the late Russian opposition leader who died under controversial circumstances on Friday during a protest outside the Russian embassy in Copenhagen. was. —AFP
BERLIN—Supporters of Alexei Navalny gathered from across Europe and the United States on Friday to pay tribute to the man widely seen as Russia’s leading opposition figure.
Navalny’s death, 47, was announced earlier in the day by officials at the Arctic prison where he was serving a 19-year sentence.
From New York and Washington to cities in Western Europe and capitals of former Soviet bloc countries, mourners rally domestic opposition to the leadership of Russian President Vladimir Putin, a charismatic lawyer who has criticized the leadership of Russian President Vladimir Putin, including the corruption under his rule. paid homage to.
Many were quick to blame the Russian leader for Navalny’s death.
“Putin murderer! Putin to The Hague!” shouted a crowd outside the imposing Russian embassy in Berlin. The embassy is named after the Dutch city that hosts the International Criminal Court.
Most of the hundreds of people gathered there were Russian speakers, many holding posters of opposition politicians and slogans criticizing Putin.
Evgeny Shirokin, who coordinated the “Free Navalny” movement in Germany, said: “We have suffered a huge psychological blow.”
“That motivates us to keep fighting against Putin,” added the 43-year-old, holding a black-and-white photo of an opposition figure.
In Moscow, a small group laid flowers at a makeshift memorial despite warnings from authorities.
Images on social media showed dozens of people lining up to lay flowers at monuments to victims of political repression in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Authorities had warned people not to heed online calls to “participate in mass rallies in central Moscow.”
Russian atmosphere
Protests are illegal in Russia under strict opposition laws, and the government has cracked down on rallies in support of Navalny.
Still, dozens of people laid red and white roses on the Solovetsky stone. The Solovetsky Stone is a monument to the victims of Soviet-era repression, located opposite the headquarters of Russia’s FSB Security Service, the former home of the feared Soviet secret police.
At least one person was arrested for holding a placard that read “murderer” and several people gathered to lay flowers on a bridge next to the Kremlin where Putin critic Boris Nemtsov was killed in 2015. Photographs were also taken where they were.
Police were filmed dispersing people who had gathered in the snow at a monument in the center of Kazan.
Several large-scale demonstrations were also held in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi, Armenia’s capital Yerevan, and Serbia’s capital Belgrade. All of these cities are home to large numbers of Russians who fled the country following the Kremlin’s attack on Ukraine.
In the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, crowds gathered at a memorial to the victims of the Soviet occupation.
“Even in prison he managed to find strength and give it to those who resisted,” said a Russian resident of Vilnius, who declined to give his name.
All of Europe, All of America
In Warsaw, about 100 people demonstrated in front of the Russian embassy, most of them young and visibly shaken.
A 29-year-old Russian who only wanted to be identified as Denislan said he saw Mr. Navalny as a symbol of Russian civil society.
“I’m here because Russia should and can become a democracy,” he said.
In Switzerland, about 300 people took part in an impromptu rally outside Zurich train station, and more than 100 people gathered in front of the United Nations in Geneva holding a portrait of Navalny and white flowers.
In London, dozens of people gathered outside the Russian embassy, holding signs in English and Russian that read “Putin’s assassin,” “Navalny is our hero,” and “Putin goes to hell.” Hundreds of people also gathered in Paris and Amsterdam to show their support for Navalny.
In New York, people laid flowers outside the Russian consulate and hung a photo of Navalny on the gate. Several people held placards reading “Putin Killer”.
Hundreds of people, some holding posters and candles, gathered outside the Russian embassy in Washington, chanting “We are Navalny” and “Shame on Putin.” The words “Putin Killer” were projected on the embassy building.
“Even though we expected it, it is still very difficult for him to leave us so soon,” Mariam Henry, a 44-year-old teacher, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) outside the embassy.
“It’s a truly tragic day. He was a symbol of freedom, courage and resistance,” said a 29-year-old gymnastics coach who gave her name as Polina.
“Don’t make a mistake.”
The shocking announcement of Navalny’s death came a day before the formal campaign for the March presidential election began.
Critics claim the election will be managed in stages to extend 71-year-old President Putin’s 20-year hold on power.
Mr Navalny was barred from challenging Mr Putin in the 2018 presidential election, but was spared a poisoning attempt two years later.
After receiving treatment in Germany, he returned to Russia in January 2021, but was arrested soon after. Last December, he was taken to Russia’s Arctic penal colony.
Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service said Navalny “felt unwell after the walk and almost immediately lost consciousness.” Doctors from a local hospital reportedly arrived within minutes and spent “more than 30 minutes” trying to revive him.
Navalny’s wife, Yulia, held President Putin personally responsible for her husband’s death and called on the international community to “unite and overthrow this evil and horrible regime.”
President Putin, who is known for never mentioning Navalny by name, visited the Ural Mountains on Friday and made no mention of Navalny’s death in public.
Read: Putin’s opponent Alexei Navalny dies in Arctic prison, Russia says
US President Joe Biden said on Friday: “Make no mistake: President Putin is responsible for Mr. Navalny’s death.”
“We do not know exactly what happened, but there is no doubt that Mr. Navalny’s death was the result of the actions of President Putin and his thugs,” he added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who has been fighting Russian forces for the past two years, said Kremlin critics were “killed by Putin.”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for a “full, credible and transparent investigation”.
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