The secret of success is constancy to purpose
Benjamin Disraeli
"Many think that people are a beast of burden that is ready to carry any kind of load". These are also Disraeli's words. Hundreds of years pass, but nothing has changed – statesmen, on getting to the top, start to see the rest of the country's inhabitants, either as a cattle for plowing, or as another nation, on which they can "experiment", "squeezing the people dry". And all this happens until those who are being treated badly give such feedback that the "experimenters" lose their appetite, the desire to "have fun", and sometimes the place in the sun.
Even now, Mr. Putin is absolutely sure that he has everything under control and even said in advance that the population will vote "for" the reset in term limits and amendments to the constitution. The new regime will leave no illusions, no external freedom. The opposition will not only be burned out, any attempt to defend their rights can be fatal for a person's career, well-being and life.
Previously, the new regime began to take over the phone, telegraph and railway stations, today the population is surrounded by legal "red flags" like wolves. First, there were laws that allow the police to use tasers against peaceful protests, then open property without the presence of the owner, now a police officer on duty can shoot an unarmed person without any consequences for him.
If before this, the police committed several dozen murders a year, now their number is guaranteed to grow, because the unscrupulous servants of the law "have their hands untied". On social networks, a flash mob was launched about police violence in Russia after the murder of a Yekaterinburg man by security forces. 49 cases in six months. And this is most likely the last open action, because the next time its participants may fall under the new version of the law on extremism and they may be accused of aiding extremists.
Yes, things are changing, but not for the better for constitutional freedoms. Mr Putin has signed a new counter-extremism policy in which: "the list of internal and external threats has been expanded and the assessment of the threat level of extremism has been increased". Soon, not only free expression of one's opinion, but even sending a video you like will become a dangerous pleasure - anyone can be "labelled" as an extremist or an accomplice of extremists.
First, let's clarify the concept of extremism. It includes "adherence to extreme views and methods of action". In other words, extremists have radical views and push for actions that "shatter" the political system. Further on, three important points– that the "professors" try not to emphasize– slip out of the definition:
- The rise of extremism is caused by a political regime, which drives the population to the extreme. Extremism is a response of people to a sharp drop in their living standards, a social crisis caused by corruption and transition to a totalitarian regime, suppression of the opposition by the authorities, repression of political dissent, etc. – it makes no sense to cite a violation of the entire list of constitutional freedoms.
- Terrorism is the most extreme and obvious form of extremism. But the government formulates where the border- beyond which a sharp statement about the regime and political actions can be attributed to extremism- begins, and thereby determines who are extremists, and who aren’t.
- Causing unrest, terrorist actions, readiness to wage war against the regime- the result of the fact that the government itself blocked any opportunities for negotiations, compromises and agreements.
Even fascism, in all its disgusting forms, is primarily a reaction to the inability of a political regime to solve the problems of its people. And it arose precisely in those countries that were defeated in the First World War and their economies were "crushed" by reparations to the victorious countries.
Therefore, when Mr. Putin changes the policy for countering extremism before the vote "for amendments and resetting term limits", which is in fact, for his future throne – it isn’t random.
How does the revision of the policy differ from the 2014 version?
- Previously, extremism was considered just one of the threats to national security, but now it is priority №1: "Extremism poses a real threat to political and social stability in Russia. ...There is a trend towards the further spread of radicalism among certain groups of the population and the aggravation of external and internal extremist threats". If the law on extremist activity provides a common list of what constitutes extremist activity: "inciting social, racial, national or religious discord", then in the policy, that very "social discord" - the discrepancy in the standard of living of 30 or more times between the ordinary population and the class of government officials and oligarchs has become the central point.
- The number of external and internal threats has increased. The threats include actions to destroy the country and the political regime:
- violation of the unity and territorial integrity of the country,
destabilization of the socio-economic situation; - provoking "color revolutions";
separatism, attempts to achieve the "disintegration of the state",
creation of ethnic and religious enclaves;
Also, participating in political movements and spreading extremist views:
- spreading the ideology of violence (previously, this concept was not present at all, in the new policy it is "a set of views and ideas that justify the use of violence to achieve political, ideological, religious and other objectives");
- involvement in extremist organizations;
- destruction of the traditional way of life, "Russian spiritual and moral values".
If formally these points can be easily agreed, then the attribution of protest actions and participation in them to extremist actions in the policy can be clearly considered "inadequate". This leads to the complete disappearance of a civilized opposition. Now anyone, even if he isn’t a participant of the action, but reports about it on a social network – becomes an extremist. In the midst of this news, even the involvement of minors in the action as a form of extremism loses its significance. After all, there is no difference for serving time. - Those who wrote the new "policy" believe that sports clubs are a hotbed of extremism and are very concerned about this: "... The spread of radicalism in the sports sphere, including in sports schools and clubs, as well as the penetration of adherents of extremist ideology into the coaching and teaching staff is of great concern". The reasons why sports clubs can come under attack at any time are clear. We have a huge number of young people engaged in boxing, wrestling and martial arts.
The opposition benefits from the involvement of this population group in order to confront the police and the National Guard. Putin and co. have not forgotten how the movement for the development of martial arts was blocked in the USSR for two years. And they hint to the coaches that "in case of something" they will easily "cut off oxygen supply" for their lives and the ability to support their families.
- "Foreign agents" got some too - NGOs that deal with legal issues of Russians. Their activities will be monitored even more. The risk of closing organizations that are engaged in ethnic and socio-cultural projects as a hotbed of extremism is also high.
As you can see, besides adding more detailed and supplementary parts which are typical of bureaucratic procedures to the counter-extremism policy, a number of amendments now equate us, ordinary and peaceful Russians, with members of terrorist organizations who actually enter Russia to commit terrorist attacks and destabilize the situation, and with inadequate representatives of national or religious minorities.
The new policy, or the "revision"- as bureaucrats call it, makes it possible to bring the level of control and sanctions to complete insanity. In the regions, law enforcement officers and government officials have their hands completely untied and using this document as a cover, they can, for example, settle scores, extort bribes for continuing to work, etc.
Our decision to fight for constitutional rights or against the arbitrariness of law enforcement agencies is also extremism now. For now, you can still try to challenge this in the constitutional court, but after July 1, if you vote "for" the amendments and reset of term limits, the fight against the Putin Constitution and regime will be officially extremism.
As soon as there is a plan for "locking up", even a picket in defense of stray dogs will be the beginning of your journey to "places of exile".
We all have less than three weeks left to actually do something. Don't be indifferent! Vote against the amendments, help the opposition to convey this to everyone!
http://docs.cntd.ru/document/901823502
http://ivo.garant.ru/#/document/71244770/paragraph/1/highlight/Пр-2753:2
https://www.rbc.ru/politics/29/05/2020/5ed1346b9a79478424124dbb
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Экстремизм
https://www.sova-center.ru/misuse/news/lawmaking/2020/05/d42475/
https://openmedia.io/news/n1/v-socsetyax-zapustili-fleshmob-o-policejskom-nasilii-v-rossii-posle-ubijstva-silovikami-ekaterinburzhca/