Maria Bobrova, Yulia Gutorova, Svetlana Nagornykh
Two nationwide actions - one pro-government and the other anti-government - are due to be held on January 31. The Presidium of the United Russia General Council will hold a nationwide action in support of the Government's anti-crisis measures. Meanwhile, the KPRF has applied to hold a nationwide protest on January 31. Both sides believe provocations leading to clashes cannot be ruled out.
The Presidium of the United Russia General Council yesterday discussed the appeals of work collectives proposing to hold actions in support of the Russian auto industry and Prime Minister Putin. The party said it would help the work collectives get together some time between January 21 and 30 and support the Russian automobile industry. The automobile industry support action will be a warm-up to January 31, when the final demonstration in support of all the anti-crisis measures proposed by the Government and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is held.
Appeals from work collectives to United Russia started flowing in shortly after the party held a secret meeting with First Deputy Head of the Presidential Executive Office Vladislav Surkov at the end of last week. Surkov urged the party to give a symmetric response to those protesting against the introduction of customs duties on used foreign cars.
The first pro-government action was held yesterday in the city of Volzhsk at the gates of the Volzhanin factory, which manufactures buses. The auto industry provides 5,000 jobs (assembly of buses and parts for VAZ, GAZ, Volzhanin, ZIL, and KamAZ vehicles). Over 900 people assembled at lunchtime, between 12:00 and 12:40. "We are sorry for the people of Primorye," Chairman of the Board of the region's enterprises Anatoly Bakulin told Kommersant. "But who will take pity on those who work at our enterprises?" The rally adopted a resolution that proposes to include the Volzhanin bus factory in the government programme of support for the automobile industry and to support those who buy Russian-made cars.
The Samara regional branch of United Russia will hold a rally on January 28 at the end of the Christmas holiday at AvtoVAZ; workers are to report back to work on February 2. A rally will be held in Togliatti, said the press secretary of the party's regional branch, Maxim Matygin: "The workers, the management, the trade union bosses, and possibly United Russia deputies will take part. From previous experience, we can expect about 800 people to participate."
In Nizhniy Novgorod, United Russia has scheduled a rally for January 28. Permission from the city hall has already been granted, and the rally will take place on the far bank of the river in Lenin Square at the foot of the monument to the leader of the world proletariat. About 3,000 people, mainly party activists in the city and neighbouring parts of the region, are expected to hold a rally during lunchtime.
In Moscow the rally will take place on Saturday, January 24. The venue has yet to be named: It will be either at the gates of the AZLK Moskvich Factory or at the AMO Likhachev Plant. By the way, the Moscow city hall has just turned down an application to hold an action in support of the domestic automobile industry; the youth wing of the Just Russia party had filed to hold a car rally, but it was banned.
The actions are to span a huge area, from Kaliningrad to Primorye, though there will be no rallies in support of the Russian automobile industry in Primorye, Kommersant's source has admitted, only a rally in support of the Government's anti-crisis measures on January 31. "I am not a believer in mass rallies. Many factories have introduced a short working week and people are not particularly keen to join the rallies. We should engage those who are disgruntled in a dialogue and offer them options for survival, rather than confronting them head on," he said. However, another member of United Russia said that the rally should make it clear to the protesters that "there are 300,000 of you and 4.5 million of us".
The party has approved some slogans that the activists will carry: "By supporting Russia, you support yourself", "By supporting the auto industry, you support Putin". Some of the slogans have a local tinge: "The Government has done its bit, now it's up to the GAZ management", and "Volga-Siber is a quality car for Russian roads". To ensure worker turnout the local executive committees of party, the Young Guard, the trade unions, factory managers, and non-governmental associations supportive of the party have been mobilised. Such pro-government actions have already been held before: one recalls the rallies marking Day of People's Unity and pro-Putin rallies in the autumn of 2007.
A pro-government action is scheduled for January 31, the same day that the Communists have chosen to stage a nationwide protest. According to Kommersant, the KPRF has advertised its intention to hold rallies in practically all the administrative centres in Russia, is agitating at factories, is preparing a seminar on Communist training of youth and retired servicemen for a possible confrontation with OMON and the police, and is bringing in veterans and regional deputies.
"I am afraid that the decision by United Russia to hold their rallies on the same day as us may lead to clashes. Their aim is to show, especially on television, that their rallies are more powerful than ours. However, we know that they are using administrative pressure: they give instructions to the trade unions that are part of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia and to enterprise managers," Vadim Solovyov, head of the KPRF legal service and State Duma deputy, told Kommersant.
The Communists will stage a protest in Moscow on January 31.
