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RUSSIA: More than 100 anti-Putin protesters arrested

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RUSSIA: More than 100 anti-Putin protesters arrested

Police is Russia arrested more than 100 people who thronged the streets of St. Petersburg to protest President Vladimir Putin’s expected candidacy in elections next year with many calling for his resignation.

The demonstrations called by the Open Russia movement founded by Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky saw protesters rallying across several cities under the slogan “We’re sick of him.”

During the protests, more than 110 protesters were hauled away by riot police.

“Police officers ended the actions … of 100 people who continued to trouble the public order,” St Petersburg police said, without confirming if they had been arrested.

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Expressing his disgust at Putin, 64, who has dominated Russian politics for 17 years and enjoys high popularity ratings, one of the protesters, 35-year-old Anton Danilov, in St Petersburg said; “Putin is an usurper. He has to finally go”.

“Everything is bad. Education, health – everything has been destroyed. I want changes,” said Galina Abramova, 57.

In Moscow, a similarly sized rally remained peaceful as activists lined up under the gaze of riot police to hand over handwritten appeals for Putin to stand down from running in 2018.

“I don’t want Putin to stand in the next elections,” said Anna Bazarova, a 16-year-old student queuing up to hand in her petition. “Our main problem is that we can’t change those in power.”

 

 

 

 

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