Demonstrators protest against the recent parliamentary elections outside the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C., on December 24.
Russians Outside Russia Join Election Protests
While all eyes were on the massive December 24 protests in Moscow, Russian diaspora communities around the world expressed their solidarity by staging their own rallies.
Several dozen people picketed in front of the fortress-like Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C., some singing, others discussing politics in their country of origin, and others holding signs that might compete for a spot on our list of the best Russian protest signs. One read, "Vlad! Don’t dump on Hillary. Be a man!" -- a reference to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s assertion that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave protesters "a signal" to act (and a jab at Putin’s well-documented need to play up his Y chromosome.)
Organized primarily via Facebook, similar small protests took place on December 24 in cities such as New York and San Francisco, as well as in Dublin, Ireland, Tel Aviv, Toronto, and elsewhere.
Demonstrators protest outside the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C.
Other protests, generally larger than those held on December 24, were also held on December 10 in cities as far from Moscow as Berlin, Limassol, Oslo, Rome, and Tokyo. This large demonstration was held in London. The protests even received some coverage in the Russian press, such as in this comprehensive slideshow.
-- Richard Solash
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Written by RFE/RL editors and correspondents, Transmission serves up news, comment, and the odd silly dictator story. While our primary concern is with foreign policy, Transmission is also a place for the ideas -- some serious, some irreverent -- that bubble up from our bureaus. The name recognizes RFE/RL's role as a surrogate broadcaster to places without free media. You can write us attransmission+rferl.org
