Thousands gather for Putin's battle cry
Tens of thousands of people have
gathered in Moscow in support of presidential hopeful
Vladimir Putin.
Tens of thousands of people
have gathered in Moscow in support of presidential hopeful Vladimir Putin, with numbers
rivalling those of recent mass protests against his 12-year dominance of
Russian politics. Bussed in from surrounding towns and cities, the rally was
all about proving that Vladimir Putin is still Russia's most popular
politician. In a fiery speech he issued a battle cry, loaded with patriotic
rhetoric. He said: 'We are all ready to work together for the sake of our great
motherland. We are not only ready to work, we are ready to defend it.’ To
defend it at all times and forever. We won't allow anyone to meddle in our
affairs or impose their will upon us, because we have a will of our own.'On the
national holiday known as Defenders Of The Fatherland Day, there was a clear
effort to entertain the crowds. Older fur-clad Russians danced to Soviet rock
and roll, while buckwheat was served from an old field kitchen.Unlike the
anti-Putin demos there wasn't an iPad in sight as some donned traditional
Russian costume to take part in a tug of war competition.Some attended the
rally with gusto.One man told reporters: 'Putin will be president for this term
and the next. Only this will make Russia stable. When we had Tsars for 40
years, Russia was able to rise from it's knees and become a
great country.'Others were a little confused over the exact nature of the
event. One woman said her employer invited to a music concert - not a pro-Putin
rally.Most placards were in Russian and had things like 'For the Motherland,
for Stalin, for Putin' written on them. One read, in English, 'In Putin We
Trust' - although the man holding it did not know what his banner said as he
didn't speak English.Rumours of people being ordered to attend such meetings
have been rife.Head teacher Yelena Travina, who lost her job when she refused
the order to send her employees to a pro-Putin rally, said: 'I felt horrible,
hurt and angered at what happened.'I have only received praise in my job so far
and then I got into this purely political conflict. I was belittled in front of
other employees and thrown out of work. It was a strong blow.'The effort behind
this rally suggests genuine concern over the recent anti-Putin protest
movement.In just over a week's time he will almost certainly regain his old
job. The doubt lies in just how smooth and successful a tenure it will be.
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