Text version
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We are now living through the most
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real moment of
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national unity. In fact, any
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opinion polls show that right
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now more than 90 percent of citizens
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have rallied around a single idea.
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Nothing like this has happened in recent years.
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The Olympics, Crimea, the FIFA World Cup—
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all of that is nonsense compared with what has
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actually united us now:
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raising the retirement age. Everyone
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is against it—men and women, old
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and young,
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rich and poor. Even in United Russia
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those who voted for the first version of this
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bill did not produce 100 percent
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support as usual; there was a deputy
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who dared to vote against it. And even
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Putin, who in fact is the one
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pushing the whole idea of raising
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the retirement age, is too cowardly to
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say so outright and mumbles something about how
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actually he is against it, but this bad
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government started it all. But it’s all
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complicated, we need to take things into account, this
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issue did not arise yesterday.
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It has been discussed one way or another, with greater or
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less intensity, over the course of
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many years, and different options
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have been proposed. When I was asked
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and am still asked now which of the
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various options
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I prefer, I
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can say now: none of them.
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It is obvious why he is mumbling: Putin is afraid
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of his approval rating collapsing, and that, by the way,
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is already happening. But the funniest thing was
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what the well-known United Russia deputy
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Fyodorov did: first he voted for
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raising the retirement age, and then
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declared that of course he was against it, but
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he was forced to vote that way
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because the Americans were imposing it
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and the authorities were forced
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to comply. As if it were literally signed: Washington,
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District of Columbia.
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The Russian Federation is hereby ordered to carry out
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pension reform by raising
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the retirement age. Is there an official document
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to that effect? So you want to say that
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Medvedev is simply carrying out an order?
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Strictly speaking, this is automatic
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for the rulers. I told you this before,
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but you didn’t hear me and moved away
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from the question. Everyone in Russia obeys, just as
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in Pskov they carry out Moscow’s decisions; likewise
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Moscow carries out Washington’s decisions.
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Who is that explanation meant for—
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idiots?
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But you and I are not idiots, and we understand
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one simple thing: for 18 years straight, Putin and all
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his officials and United Russia kept repeating in
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one voice that they would not allow the retirement
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age to be raised, that this was an
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inviolable part of state
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policy, and that the entire, the whole
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state economic strategy
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was built around that. I am against
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increasing
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the retirement age, and as long as I am
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president, such a decision will not
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be made.
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And in general, I believe that we have no
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need to raise the age of
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retirement. And now it turns out there was no
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strategy at all.
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Officials simply squandered
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and stole both our tax money and the oil
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revenues flowing into the budget. Now there is not enough money,
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and it has been decided to find it by
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not paying pensions to several
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tens of millions of people. We need
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to make a decision regarding the retirement
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age. I myself have already spoken
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on this topic, and our reasons have changed,
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as have the conditions, the opportunities, and people’s desire
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to work, as well as the period of active life.
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Therefore, a decision must be made. This is
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the only meaning of Putin’s pension
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reform: raise the retirement age
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almost to the average
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life expectancy, and half of the people
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simply will not live to collect a pension, which means
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there will be nothing to pay. That means there will be
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a new trillion rubles (about US$16 billion at the time) that can be
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looted. That’s it—there is no other point
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to this. And what we have here is simply
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a classic situation in which a handful
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of people—a tiny minority—
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is trying to rob everyone. It is important to understand
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that the word “robbery” here is not
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a figure of speech, not an exaggeration, but a literal
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description of what is happening. Because
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your pension, present or future, is not
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charity and not an act of kindness
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from the state, not a handout. It is your money,
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money you have already earned yourself. It is
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deductions from your salary, and
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the government wants to steal that money.
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Even if you are 19 years old, if you
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have worked for pay for even one
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day, you too are a victim of this pension
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robbery. And as the majority, you and I
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simply do not
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have the right to sit silently and watch. Putin
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is not publicly saying for nothing that he does not fully
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support the reform. He is afraid of the people—that
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they will protest, that they will take to
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the streets. If they do, all of this will have
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to be canceled. So we need to come out, not be afraid,
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forget political differences, come out
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and say:
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we will not accept a situation in which
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half of Russia’s citizens simply
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will not live to retirement, and their money will be
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stolen. And you and I have a brilliant
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date for holding a nationwide protest
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against raising the retirement age.
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After all, Putin and United Russia did this themselves.
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So in our country there is a special
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day when all citizens can and should
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express their attitude toward what
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the authorities are doing, and even leave their homes to do
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so.
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It is called the Single Voting Day on
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September 9, 09/09. You can go
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vote.
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But why not also stop by a rally and
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take part in a march? It is your
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right and a way to express your position. Look,
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first, there are no restrictions on holding
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rallies on voting day.
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And second, after all, we want
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the elections, and especially on
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voting day, everyone around us
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to discuss only the increase in the retirement
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age. We do want that. Politicians, voters,
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journalists—everyone should be discussing it. It
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must be the main issue of the election
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campaign. And excellent—on September 9, on the Single
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Voting Day,
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I call on everyone to take part in the
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nationwide protest against
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raising the retirement age and
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to demand the repeal of the laws raising
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the age, and an answer from the government about
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how they managed the economy all
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these years so badly that now, to refill the
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budget, they have to take pensions away from the poorest
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people.
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An answer to the question: where did all
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that enormous money flowing into the state treasury
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all these years go? Public and
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personal explanations from Putin as to why
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he lied to our faces all these years, claiming that
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raising the retirement age would never
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happen. Are we ready for them to
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suddenly and sharply raise the retirement
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age now? I believe not. So if we
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set the retirement age at 65, then, excuse
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my bluntness, that means
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you work until the wooden overcoat (a Russian euphemism for a coffin) and
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off you go. And lastly, the resignation of everyone who
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supports raising the retirement
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age. Ninety-five percent of the
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population is against them. They have no moral right
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to govern the country if for 18 years
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they promised one thing and now are abruptly doing
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something completely different. They must also bear
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some kind of
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at least political responsibility.
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Now, as for whether they will authorize
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the rallies or ban them, note this:
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we held the first actions in July
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and deliberately did not file applications in those
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cities where the FIFA World Cup was taking
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place.
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We were considerate—it did not seem right
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to spoil tourists’ impression of the country
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with protest actions. Now the championship
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is over. We behaved like the nicest
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and kindest people in the world, and now we
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demand our right to express our
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attitude toward a law that will affect
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the life of every one of us. If they do not allow it,
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if they arrest us—so be it. Let them arrest me for
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organizing an action supported by
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95 percent of the population. If they want
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to detain me for going out into the street and
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saying the very words Putin said for 18 years
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in a row, then let them detain me. We have already
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repeatedly stated that we consider it
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inadvisable to raise the retirement age in Russia.
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We will not do this. I will not
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stay silent while they rob me, my parents,
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my neighbors—everyone around us. And I
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urge all of you to treat this
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exactly the same way. Any normal person
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will later come up to you and say thank you
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very much for not staying silent and not remaining
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at home. We have headquarters in forty-six
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of the largest cities, and there we will submit
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applications for the action, and we invite everyone, even if you
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disagree with us on some other
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issues. In all other cities,
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act on your own, get in touch with us,
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and we will provide legal assistance. All
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applications will be filed 15 days in advance, in strict
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accordance with the law. But if we are
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illegally refused, we will still come out
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because the Constitution guarantees our
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right to peaceful protest actions. Right
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now, your main task is to help
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spread this video, this
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appeal.
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It is especially important to send it to all your
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friends and relatives of retirement and
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pre-retirement age. After that,
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start gathering around you a small
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group of people who will go with you to the
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action in your city.
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They are stealing from us and robbing us. They
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pass these idiotic laws only
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because we allow them to do it.
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Let’s put a stop to it. On September 9, we take to the
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streets. We want to live in a country where
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people live long enough to reach retirement.
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Subscribe to our channel. Here
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they tell the truth.