Alexei Navalny’s speech at the rally on Sakharov Avenue in Moscow in 2011
Text version
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While we were discussing how to squeeze as much as possible
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out of the State Department,
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there were people who spent two weeks plus one more
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day resting free of charge at
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the state's expense.
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And now we give the floor to one of those people, one of us
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to speak.
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>> Alexei Navalny.
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>> Hello, everyone.
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Hello to the bandar-logs (a mocking reference from Kipling's *The Jungle Book*) and the internet hamsters.
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>> Here's the strange thing.
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They called for the bandar-logs, and they came.
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And where is the guy who was calling for them?
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Where is the one who smiled from the screen and
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smirked?
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Where is that man?
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Do you see him?
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>> He's here.
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Perhaps it's just that in Kipling's time there was no
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television, and back then it was immediately
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clear who was a python and who was a
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small, cowardly jackal.
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But now, with the help of their zombie-box (slang for TV)
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they are trying to prove to us
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that they really are big and fearsome
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beasts. But we know who they are. Small
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cowardly jackals.
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Isn't that right?
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>> Right or not?
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>> I greet you on behalf of all those who could not
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attend the rally on the 10th
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because they were being held in a special detention center.
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There were 70 of us, and we
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listened to the broadcast, we rejoiced, but we also
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feared that we ourselves might never be able
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to be present at something like this. We feared that
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that nasty phrase would come true:
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"They came, shouted, and went home."
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But you shouted and did not go home,
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>> yes or no?
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>> Will you leave or not?
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>> I am glad that we not only made demands, but
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that we also have the strength to keep demanding. And we
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will insist, and we will make them give back
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what rightfully belongs to us.
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>> Yes or no?
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We will not forget, we will not forgive. We will not forget, we will not
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forgive.
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>> I read one thin little book,
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called the Constitution of the Russian
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Federation. And it clearly states that
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the sole source of power is
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the people of the Russian Federation.
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So I do not want to listen to those who
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say that we are now appealing to
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the authorities. Who is the authority here?
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>> Who is the authority here?
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>> We are the authority.
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We have heard everyone ourselves.
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We ourselves know what to do,
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and we stand in solidarity with those who are not here but
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are listening to us.
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And we say our slogan of solidarity to
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Udaltsov, who is now on hunger strike alone
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for us. And we say: Udaltsov, one for
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all.
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>> And we say to Makhatkin and Khodorkovsky
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who were unjustly convicted: "One for
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all."
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And we say to Osipova, whom they want
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to put in prison: one for all.
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>> And we say to Magnitsky, tortured in
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prison: one for all.
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>> We know why we are here. We know
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why we have gathered. Do we want flashing blue lights (official VIP sirens)? No.
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No,
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>> do we want privileges? No,
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>> do we want this fucking mess? No.
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No.
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They stole our votes, and we came here
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to say: "Give back what is ours.
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We will not give up what belongs
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to us. Do not try to persuade us
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to wait until 2013. Are you
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ready to wait?" No.
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>> Are you ready to wait two years? No.
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>> Are you ready to wait a week? No.
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>> Give it back right now.
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We will take it ourselves.
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>> I see enough people here
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to take the Kremlin and the White House (the Russian government building)
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right now.
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But we are a peaceful force. We will not do that
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for now.
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But if these crooks and thieves
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keep trying to deceive us,
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keep trying to lie to us
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and steal from us, we will take it ourselves.
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It is ours.
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We may not want to love the authorities, but we do want
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to respect them.
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Those who are now in the Kremlin and in
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the White House are there not because they have
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support, but because they have
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television, some police, and
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a couple of bought-off judges.
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But they do not have us, they do not have support, they do not have
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the source of power. I saw only
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one worker from Nizhny Tagil.
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But look at the election results in
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Nizhny Tagil, and you will understand that that
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worker was worked over right there in
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the factory locker room.
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We are the authority here.
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>> We are the authority here. We are the authority here. We
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are the authority here. We are the authority here.
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>> We know what we are going to do. We will
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keep coming out into the streets until they
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give back what belongs to us. Next
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time we will bring onto the streets of Moscow
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a million people.
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>> Yes or no?
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>> Yes or no?
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>> Will millions come out onto the streets across Russia? Yes or
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no? Yes.
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>> We do not want to frighten anyone. We believe that
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next year power will change hands peacefully.
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Power will belong to those to whom it
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must belong to the people. Power to the people.
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to the people, power to the people.
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>> Power to the people,
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>> power to the people.
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>> There are enough people on this street for
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every polling station on March 4 to have 30
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observers, or 50 observers, or 100
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observers.
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We will all go to the polls, and we will throw out
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by the scruff of the neck those who try
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to falsify the vote. Right or not?
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We will take to the streets. We are warning you
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that we will keep coming out until
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what belongs to us is returned to us.
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We are peaceful people, but we cannot endure this
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forever.
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And one last thing. I want us to
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send our slogan of solidarity
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not even to those who are in other
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squares, not to those watching us on
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television or on the internet, but to those two
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guys,
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who are now cowering together in their
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office.
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Those two crooks and thieves who are huddled
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up against each other, hugging and wanting to get
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a little warmth and support from one
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another. They are pressed against each other with
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their cheeks, fresh from a recent facelift,
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trying to warm themselves, but Botox doesn't
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keep you warm.
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But you are making me feel hot right now.
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So let's tell those guys that we
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are no longer alone.
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We have felt solidarity.
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One for all and all for each one. One for
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all.
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We will win.
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Next year, power will belong
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to the people. We do not want to wait any longer. We do not
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need parties like that. This is the party. What
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other party do we need if there are
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200,000 people standing here?
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We are the power.
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>> We will not stay silent.
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Next time, we will take power for ourselves.
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We will win, because we are right.
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Thank you. I will see you next time.
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