Gaza under Israeli siege as death toll mounts, famine looms    New accords on trade, security strengthen Egypt-Oman Relations    Egypt launches public-private partnership to curb c-sections, improve maternal, child health    Egypt Post discusses enhanced cooperation with Ivorian counterpart    EMRA, Elsewedy sign partnership to explore, develop phosphate reserves in Sebaiya    Opella becomes first global consumer healthcare firm to gain B Corp status    Philip Morris Misr announces new price list effective 1 July    EGX closes in red on July 1st    Gold gains as investors flee to safe havens    Egypt, Iran FMs discuss Gaza truce, nuclear talks revival    Egypt's Environment Minister calls for stronger action on desertification, climate resilience in Africa    Egypt in diplomatic push for Gaza truce, Iran-Israel de-escalation    Egypt teams up with private sector to boost university rankings    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Three ancient rock-cut tombs discovered in Aswan    Egypt condemns deadly terrorist attack in Niger    Egypt, Tunisia discuss boosting healthcare cooperation    Egypt's commodity reserves "very reassuring", some stocks sufficient for 9 months — trade chief    Egypt's FM, China's Wang discuss Iran-Israel escalation    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt's GAH, Spain's Konecta discuss digital health partnership    Grand Egyptian Museum opening delayed to Q4    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Egypt's Irrigation Minister urges scientific cooperation to tackle water scarcity    Egypt discovers three New Kingdom tombs in Luxor's Dra' Abu El-Naga    Egypt launches "Memory of the City" app to document urban history    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    Egypt's Democratic Generation Party Evaluates 84 Candidates Ahead of Parliamentary Vote    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Cabinet approves establishment of national medical tourism council to boost healthcare sector    Egypt's PM follows up on Julius Nyerere dam project in Tanzania    Egypt's FM inspects Julius Nyerere Dam project in Tanzania    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Russians show Valentine's Day support for Navalny with candle-lit vigils
Published in Ahram Online on 14 - 02 - 2021

Supporters of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny held candle-lit gatherings in residential courtyards across Russia on Sunday despite warnings that they could be arrested.
Navalny's allies have declared a moratorium on street rallies until the spring after police detained thousands of people in the past few weeks at protests against the opposition politician's arrest and imprisonment.
But they wanted Russians to show solidarity with Navalny by gathering outside their homes for 15 minutes on Valentine's Day evening, shining their mobile phone torches and arranging candles in the shape of a heart.
People on social media posted pictures of themselves holding candles or phones with flickering flashlights across Russia, including in the Eastern Siberia city of Irkutsk, Yekaterinburg in the Urals mountains and Novosibirsk in Western Siberia.
However, the vigils were mostly small and sporadic, unlike the huge street protests in recent weeks.
Navalny was arrested last month on his return from Germany following treatment for poisoning with what many Western countries say was a nerve agent. He was jailed on Feb. 2 for violating parole on what he said were trumped-up charges.
He blames President Vladimir Putin for the poisoning, and Western countries are considering new sanctions against Russia. The Kremlin denies any involvement and questions whether Navalny was poisoned.
"Putin is fear. Navalny is love. That's why we will win," Leonid Volkov, one of Navalny's close allies, wrote on Twitter in a call for people to gather on Sunday.
Volkov, who is based in Lithuania, is one of several Navalny allies now abroad or under house arrest in Russia.Moscow,
He urged people to flood social media with pictures of Sunday's gatherings - a new venture for the opposition that resembles political actions in neighbouring Belarus - using the hashtag #loveisstrongerthanfear in Russian.
HUMAN CHAIN
Another activist called on women to form a human chain in Moscow on Sunday afternoon in support of Navalny's wife Yulia, who was reported to have flown to Germany this week, and other women affected by the police crackdown against protesters.
More than 100 women turned up at the Arbat in central Moscow to form the chain, braving bitter cold and holding a white ribbon measuring more than a 100 metres long.
"I really hope it will change things for the better, I sincerely want it," a woman in the chain in Moscow said.
Another smaller chain was formed in St Petersburg.
There were no large-scale arrests or clashes with the police.
The OVD-Info protest monitoring group said nine people were detained in the city of Kazan, some 820 km (510 miles) east of Moscow, following a rally against repression. Six of them had been released already.
Russian law enforcement agencies on Thursday said that people taking part in unsanctioned rallies could face criminal charges.
Rights groups have accused police of using disproportionate force against protesters in recent weeks. The Kremlin has denied repression by police and says the protests were illegal because they were not approved and risked spreading COVID-19.
Putin has blamed the pandemic for fuelling the protests and tried to downplay the role of Navalny. Speaking at a meeting of chief editors of mostly pro-government media last week, Putin refused to call Navalny by name, referring to him as "the defendant".
"This defendant is being used just as people's fatigue is emerging all over the world, including in our country," he said. "Irritation has piled up, people have become disgruntled including by their living conditions, by the level of income."
Navalny was in effect an outlet for anger at the authorities over the pandemic, he said.


Clic here to read the story from its source.