Unclear who appointed them, unclear whom they represent—these obscure people at Moscow City Hall are once again saying they can forbid us from walking where we want. The daily 8–10-point traffic jams that have completely paralyzed the city over the past two weeks, caused by the utter incompetence of this very City Hall, do not bother them. But any mass event where people might once again remember how Sobyanin and his cronies swindled the election is, of course, seen by officials as an ABSOLUTE DISASTER. So it simply cannot be allowed. As you remember, the March of Freedom will take place on December 15, marking the anniversary of the protest actions. We are residents of this city. We have the right to come, and we will come. But naturally, everyone wants a peaceful march without any incidents and without the stupid, pointless three-hour detentions everyone is sick of. Here is the timeline. The Coordination Council submitted an application for two routes (for City Hall to choose from), both ending at Lubyanka Square. City Hall rejected them, citing reasons pulled out of thin air:
They are proposing that we march along the boulevards to Sakharov Avenue, as if “forgetting” that in the past we accepted this inconvenient route for one reason only: at Sakharov, the endpoint of the route, there was a rally. This time there will be no rally, in part because City Hall claims that none of the central squares can accommodate us. 3. We have sent them our rejection of their proposal, as required by law.
As you can see, we came forward with the most flexible and friendly proposal imaginable: give us ANY route at least 4 km (about 2.5 miles) long, ending at one of the central squares. 4. Yesterday it became known that we had been rejected again. Apparently, some negotiations on this issue will take place on Monday. The Coordination Council’s representatives need to go into those talks with a clear position. Last night, at the march organizing committee meeting, it was decided that the question of whether or not to insist on the route we need is beyond the committee’s authority, given the utterly unconstructive position of Moscow’s “government” and Sobyanin. We all have to decide this. And we have the tools to do it. We all wanted direct democracy and the ability for everyone to influence decision-making—or even decide things directly. That is why we elected the Coordination Council by direct vote. So now let’s also decide by direct vote: accept City Hall’s proposal, or insist on our route. The vote opened ten minutes ago, in exactly the same place where the Coordination Council elections were held. Using the same system. Here are Volkov’s instructions. Those who took part in the Coordination Council elections will be able to vote without any additional registration. Just using their phone number. If you do not remember your verification code, it will be sent to your number within one second. The vote will continue throughout the entire period of negotiations with Moscow’s “government” and will serve as that very “expression of the voters’ will” for our negotiators. There is no quorum requirement: however many people vote, that is how many vote. CEC Chairman Volkov will announce the number of voters and the results every hour. All the safeguards that ensured an honest vote last time are working now as well. Vote. Your vote matters, and it is your vote that will decide what we do. This is extremely important, so the March of Freedom organizing committee would be very grateful if you told people about the ongoing vote on your social media. Thanks in advance. Let’s vote. (and once again, the instructions, just in case)