Russia: Protests against falling living standards

[Hannah Bell]

On March 7, an estimated 2,000 protesters marched through the central Russian city of Penza’s city centre to demonstrate against falling living standards.

A report of the rally on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) cited one protester, Tatyana, a 50-year-old preschool teacher, who “like millions of Russians ... had been bracing for the annual hike in utility tariffs that comes with the New Year. But her bill for January exceeded her worst nightmares. It had jumped 25 percent from the previous month, eating up as much as two-thirds of her salary.”

Tatyana now has to spend 5,000 rubles ($168) per month on water, gas and electricity. This leaves her just 2,300 rubles ($77) with which to feed her two teenage children and her husband, an invalid whose health prevents him from working.

“I’m in a hopeless situation,” said Tatyana, who was afraid to give her last name. “I can’t bear it anymore. I need to do something about it and that’s why I went to the protest. I saw that people had already been driven to despair...

“I have great difficulties in paying for my flat. Salaries here are low and tariffs for utilities are very high. I grew up in Soviet times, and we didn’t have such problems. I’m really scared for my children.”

RFE/RL said that nervous city authorities did their best to deter residents from attending the rally, even offering free entrance to the local zoo, free city excursions, and public lectures on how to cut utility costs. The rally through Penza was the latest in a series of demonstrations that have taken place across Russia in recent weeks, including in Samara, Irkutsk and Archangelsk. The demonstrations have protested against low pay, mounting unemployment, police brutality, and increasing popular anger at corrupt government on both the local and federal level. The largest demonstration took place last month in the Baltic city of Kaliningrad, which attracted around 10,000 protesters.

The demonstration is to be repeated on a national scale when Kaliningrad becomes one of at least 15 cities to stage coordinated protests on March 20.

On March 7, during his concert in Moscow, veteran rock star Yury Shevchuk said, “The rich are becoming even richer, the poor even poorer. Corruption is total; everyone is stealing. The system has built a brutal, cruel and inhumane government in our country. People are suffering, not only in prisons and camps, but in orphanages and hospitals as well.”

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/mar2010/wkrs-m19.shtml

[Go2Peace]

1. Russia is a great libertarian experiment

They were convinced to go semi-libertarian by the world bank and the world Republican movement. Until they reform their economy they will continue to suffer.

We would do well to pay attention, this is what our masters want for us. This is what both parties are working toward.

[Hannah Bell]

2. this is what our masters want -- and are getting -- for the entire world.