About two weeks ago, when I was told that this charter was being prepared, I laughed and said that YABLOKO would NEVER sign anything like that. Sure, there are some sycophants in the leadership, but not to that extent. Signing an anti-extremism charter with United Russia, after we were kicked off the ballot in St. Petersburg, is ridiculous. United Russia are the real extremists here. I was even ready to bet anything on it. Good thing I didn’t. They signed it after all. It feels awful. Just like in the well-known line: It was like being doused with a bucket of water. I felt so disgusted. And hurt. A complete nothing. My comment in EJ: I know for a fact that several parties signed the charter, including, unfortunately, Yabloko. I think this will become a separate subject of discussion at the Yabloko bureau. I am opposed to such strange agreements, and I do not understand what kind of fight against extremism one can be signing agreements about with United Russia… Today, the main manifestation of extremism, in my view, is election fraud, censorship in the mass media, and violations of the freedom to hold public gatherings. The main signatories of this charter are responsible for all of that. So how Yabloko could take part in this is completely beyond me. I am categorically against it. Clearly, this charter is aimed: a) against the NBP (National Bolshevik Party), b) against the Dissenters’ March. Yes, perhaps some people within our party view the NBP quite negatively. And they have every right to do so. But obviously neither the NBP, nor the Dissenters’ March, nor Kasyanov are the main enemies of democracy right now. http://www.ej.ru/vision/entry/6567/ What looks especially pathetic and sleazy are the miserable attempts to justify it. Like, we didn’t sign it, we were just “coordinating amendments,” and so on. Some comrades are even claiming that this is all just rumor and that YABLOKO didn’t sign anything at all. To them I send my regards and say: I saw the document with Ivanenko’s signature on it with my own eyes. And the signed version does include both “incitement of social hatred” and “actions aimed at splitting society.”