From Russia With Life, Liberty and The Pursuit of Happiness

Send Her Here, Send Her Here

August 4, 2019

Thousands of Russians have been taking to the streets to demand fair elections.  Thus far, 1,300 have been detained, including what appears to be the poisoning of popular, long-time Putin critic and Russian Opposition Coordination Council member, Alexei Navalny.

Seventeen-year-old Olga Misik sat calmly, spitting (possibly killing) distance from the front line of Moscow's infamous riot police and read aloud from the Russian Constitution.  So wait, Russia has a Constitution?  Who knew?  Donald Chrump is bent on making the U.S. Constitution as meaningful as the Russian one.

Tiananmen Square, Russian style

Misik became separated from the friends she arrived with earlier in the day and eventually ended up close to the front row of riot police.  She decided to start reading a section of the Russian Constitution which states that all Russian citizens “shall have the right to assemble peacefully, without weapons, hold rallies, meetings and demonstrations, marches and pickets.”  Hmmm, wonder how they came up with that one. 

Notice the shrewdly inserted phrase, “without weapons.”  You don’t see that in our First Amendment.  And the Second Amendment assures you never will.  No doubt American lawyers have already prepared myriad arguments as to how it is possible to “peaceably assemble” with an AK-47 slung over your shoulder.

Reading and waving the constitution around is a common form of protest in Russia, perhaps to remind Vladimir Putin of the existence of article 31 – the right to free assembly.  Obviously, the Russian framers thought this right was important enough to have all the way up at #31.  Not sure I want to find out what the first 30 might be.

While this article does theoretically allow for peaceful protest, presumably against the government, Russians cannot do so without prior permission.  If you think this is less free than you would like, recall the “free speech zones” during the Bush/Cheney years.  These were fenced-in areas where American citizens were permitted to express their consternation with the until-recently-worst-presidency-ever. 

I can recall being required to protest miles away from Independence Hall when Gerald Ford came to Philadelphia to celebrate America’s Bicentennial.  A few young lads – not much older than Olga Misik – ignored the attempt to stifle dissent and showed up at the appropriate location to make their voices heard where it was needed.  Sure, the FBI was taking pictures, and some in attendance told us to go back where we came from if we didn’t like it here, but that was all to be expected.

I and friend prepare to march on Independence Hall, circa 1976

The brave Russian teen was allowed to leave following the reading, only to be approached by unidentified officers at a subway station.  They detained and arrested her.

Misik told a reporter, “My mother is very opposed to me going to rallies because she is afraid of the consequences, and my father just loves Putin and Stalin and considers them the best rulers and hates the protesters.”

According to Misik, “They did not introduce themselves, did not explain the reason and grounds for detention. There was not a rally or a crowd of people in this place. They grabbed my arms and legs and dragged me down the street and through the underpass … I screamed that they were hurting me, but they told me that they knew better.”

Misik was held for a day and is required to appear in court to contest the charge of "attending a public event which was held without filing a notice."

I. Mangrey reporting.  What would Moscow Mitch do?