Back to Alexander Sergeyevich Griboedov -- the statesman-author slaughter in Persia for providing refuge to three harm escapees. What roulettian circumstances occurred in his life! Griboedov was one of those superbly educated, reform-minded, liberal members of the wealthy aristocracy who had been influenced by European ideas of freedom and democracy. Like Pushkin and Lermontov (and indeed also Alexander Hamilton) he was involved in illegal dueling escapades, but unlike them, he managed to emerge from these adventures alive. He joined the diplomatic service and spent years (some of the a type of mild exile as punishment for one of those dueling affairs) in the Caucasus and Persia, occasionally returning to Russia, where on the estate of a friend he finished his brilliant verse play Woe from Wit. This Russian classic mercilessly satirized anti-refom elements in society and was immediately banned by Tsarist censors as subversive. Like Pushkin, Griboedov associated with the Decembrists, a group of reformers that unsuccessfully attempted to overthrow the conservative, autocratic Tsar in December 1825. He was arrested in January 1826 as the police tried to sort out what his contribution to that plot might have been. Warned in time, he managed to destroy piles of incriminating documents and was exonerated several months later. Then the roulette wheel spun again, and Griboedov was appointed Minister Plenipotentiary to Persia. Stopping off in Georgia, he married a sixteen-year-old princess and brought her with him to Tehran. There he met his untimely brutal death at the hands of the mob outraged over his protection of those harem escapees. His body was so badly mistreated that it was only later identified by a dueling scar on his left hand. Meanwhile, since Putin & Co didn't rescind the election results or arrange for new elections, the protestors gathered again, on 18 December, in Pioneer Square around Griboedov's imposing statue. Last week there were about 7,000 people, this week it was closer to 4,000. The mood was relatively festive and towards the end of the demo, an accordion player started tickling the keys with Russian folk songs, gathering around him a small crowd who sang and danced to the tunes.
Indeed, 2012 is only two weeks a way and who can guess what it will bring? You already know, it's roulette!"My vote was stolen"
"The power of the empire will be overthrown"A member of the crowd yells, "Hey guys, what's wrong with empire? Empire is great. It's just that we've got the wrong emperor!"
Munch's Scream: "Give back my vote"(or as a play on words, "Give back my voice")
"We don't need a revolution! We need fair elections!!!"
"It's simple. 4 + 9 = 49"(referring to the 49% of the vote that Putin's party, United Russia supposedly received in the recent parliamentary elections). Virtually all of the signs and banners are directed against Putin. Medvedev isn't mentioned much at all.
"It's not important how they vote, it's important how the votes are counted"A relevant quote from Stalin is tacked on the festive barricade around an artificial Christmas tree
Some folks don't seem to mind the chilly temperatures
Police hang out near the Golden Arches
No New York City Dept of Sanitation trucks here!After police and protestors dissipate once the demonstration comes to a close, one lone man with a broom of twigs cleans up Pioneer Square.
A few police officers linger on. The billboard behind them reads: "New Year's with Ferrero Rocher"
[originally published 18 December 2011]
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