The protest movement in Moscow has no leader – and a young woman stands out: Lyubov Sobol. The opposition leader is shaping the protests, relying on the power of social media and the pressure of the street.
The Russian opposition politician, Lyubov Sobol was not admitted to the election of the Moscow city Parliament
If in those days, protesters call on Moscow streets “For the love”, it is meant: Lyubov Sobol. Because your first name “Lyubov” is Russian for “love.” The mood is anything other than loving. The anger of the protesters is directed against the decision of the authorities not to admit a few dozen of the opposition candidates, including Sobol, a local election, as well as against the police crackdown at a protest last Saturday.
As well as Sobol wanted to participate, brought police to the young woman in the pink hoodie from a Taxi and led them. So the opposition could not participate in the politician not only to the non-approved so-called “protest walk”, in which more than 800 more in Moscow, were arrested. Already a week ago there was a similar protest rally of more than 1300 arrests and many injured. Sobol landed in front of a court where she was convicted of participation in a previous protest action to a monetary penalty. In a further process it has been interrogated by the investigative Committee as a witness, and only late in the evening released.
On 3. August, Sobol already fixed before you could even participate in the protest action
Side-by-side with Navalny
For weeks, people go to Moscow for fair elections on the road. The shutter in September, the upcoming election to the Moscow city Parliament approved the Sobol and other members of the opposition young politicians were. The authorities justify this by allegedly false signatures that would be submitted by the candidates.
The otherwise insignificant perceived local election in Moscow, a very long time-high waves, because the population of the capital, particularly the Kremlin-critical. Against the Background of falling popularity ratings of the Pro-Kremlin party “United Russia” is regarded as an important test. The wave of protest reminiscent of the movement for fair elections in the Winter of 2011/2012, although they reached by far their proportions. However, it was directed against the political System of President Putin. Similarly, there is no clear leader, but Lyubov Sobol, has emerged as one of the driving forces.
The police went several times hard against the protesters, who were demonstrating for fair elections in Moscow on the street
Known the 31-Year-old is a as a lawyer of the “Foundation against corruption”, the opposition politician Alexei Navalny, which is positioned primarily as a Putin critic. Sobol studied law at the prestigious Moscow state University and has been active for years on the side of Navalny. In 2018, she was elected to a management Committee of his party “Russia of the future”. The party, however, is not authorized and shall not participate in elections.
Against this Background, Navalny and his Team to focus more and more on the Internet, where you can spread out your Videos about the corruption in the power circles in social networks. Sobol plays a Central role. She is a producer of the YouTube channel “Navalny-Live” with more than a Million subscribers, and occurs even in front of the camera.
The battle for media presence
For Sobol, it is already the third attempt at election to the Moscow city Council in 2014. Previously, they withdrew their applications, changes due to non-sufficient number of signatures, because of the lack of agreements with other opposition parties. This time it went better for you and you could get significantly more signatures than necessary. However, the electoral Commission found that approximately 14 percent of the submitted signatures “were not correct”. Sobol denies the.
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Again, numerous arrests
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Again, numerous arrests in Moscow
Also Sobol is responsible for headlines. Even before the cancellation of the admission, there was a scandal of Anna spring knife, because of her commitment to hospices, a popular activist, who wanted to compete in the same constituency, as Sobol. Navalny, Sobol and other members of the opposition called on you to do that. They argued that the Pro-Kremlin party “United Russia” wanted to prevent with the help of an opposition politician. Spring knife gave in and said that she was not able to withstand the pressure. Spring-knife had made “a correct decision by you has withdrawn their candidature, and to the dirty campaign of the government of Moscow does not take part,” said Sobol, the activist in an Interview with DW-reporter Zhanna Nemtsova in June.
Navalny’s “smart voting”
In Protest against the non-admission to the elections, the opposition politician has resigned in the middle of July, in the meantime, in a hunger strike. Then you not want to leave the building of the Moscow election Commission and was carried by police officers on a Sofa, literally, and beyond. You should not be able to participate in the election, wants Sobol to Navalny’s campaign tactics apply, which he calls “Smart vote”. Voters will be called for any number of candidates not to vote, as long as this is a member of the Kremlin party “United Russia”.
Not all find the way Sobol pursuing your goals, well. Criticism there was, as the politician had tried this in the hallway of the radio station “Echo of Moscow”, the very pregnant Chief of the international channel Russia Today, Margarita Simonyan, critical questions to the Moscow municipal policies and filmed. Simonyan complained about it afterwards, to be of Sobol harassed her. Sobol, however, said in a DW Interview, you have received much acclaim: “The number of my subscribers in social networks grew up never so fast, and my entries, so many were never “Like”button, as after the incident with Margarita Simonyan.”
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Contradictions of Navalny
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