Is there an error in this report? It says that the 24 arrested were trying to hold "authorized marches". I understand that the organizers of the commemorative gathering had a permit for a rally not a march. Routes of any march have to be approved in advance anywhere in the world, to insure the safety and the traffic management in busy cities. I am finding this utterly disrespective to the victims themselves when some people go for self-promotion and reckless activities. The organizers have the resposibility for making sure that the participants are well aware of the rules of the gathering. On a number of occassions I had worked with organizations here in Washington DC to secure the permit, and to insure that participants are informed of the ground rules that the security will enforce. The organizers are responsible, and have to take that responsibility seriously. But applying for permits, they must know that their responsibility is to their community that everything goes well. The organizers I worked with work very closely with the Park Police that is present at any event. They are most helpfull in letting us know what to look for, and be aware of any unrully and potentially dangerous behavior. After all, there are often children and elderly present, and the rules in place are to insure that people can come, bring attention to their cause or a commemorative occassion --- and be safe. I really do not understand the culture in Russia that assumes that unrully, lawless behaviour is somehow superior, and that they can act heroic while violating the law. I personally would insure that these are the groups or people who cannot be allowed to apply for permits in the future. The rally was supposed to bring together people to remember the two slain human beings: a lawyer and a journalist. The idea is to give honour to their lives, and to talk about the danger of lawlessness in the society, not to promote it. I do not under

Bianca writes, “I really do not understand the culture in Russia that assumes that unrully, lawless behaviour is somehow superior, and that they can act heroic while violating the law.” On the basis of her posts here and elsewhere, there is much about Russia which Bianca appears not to understand, but which those who have suffered the lawless “heroics” of Russia’s “somehow superior behaviour” of both the past and present understand only too well. Yet when elements of these are brought to Bianca’s attention, she rejects them out of hand, and consistently blames Russia’s victims for Russia’s crimes. For as long as Bianca seeks to measure Russian behaviour on the basis of her experience of how things might happen in Washington DC or much of elsewhere in the world, the deficit in her understanding is likely to remain.

Bianca, the people who died had a reason separate from the crowd and the present memory's reason. You are correct. RIP guys. Let your deeds be rewritten for right.

Marzipan6, How willfully you "fix" the meaning of someone's messsage, to fit your agenda. This is exactly the way you treat history. Just pick what you want to say, and say it --- regardless of what the real meaning is. Since you "missed" my meaning --- presumably --- let me enlighten you. I was taking a shot at those who in the name of "Western" values think they are superor to Russians. All the human rights organizations, invoking the "western values", engage in thuggery, on purpose. They are experts at that. They choose to apply for a permit, or may be not. And then they feel entitled to violate the permit any which way they see fit. They create their photo opportunities, and then propagandize all over the world how the human rights people cannot protest in Russia. It is not the slain individuals that they wanted to honour, nor is it their universal hate of bigotry. They are just making sure that a good occassion is found to have some free publicity. It is the behavior of these, supposedly progressive and enlightened admirerers of the West that are disrespecting the law. May be you just did not get my sarcasm. Apparently, others did. No, my dear Marzipan6. You are wrong, as always. The sub-culture that feels somehow superior to others, and that feels entitled to unrully behaviour, and is always acting so heroic while violating the law --- is our own, perverted western "model" that is being promoted in Russia as good and acceptable. This sub-culture thinks that this behavior is democracy. They were not there to remember the two slain people. They were there to promote themselves. To purposefully violate the terms of their permits, to create chaos on the streets, and to force police to intervene to protect the public. I do not care how much they believe in "being cool" --- they should respect the law.

Bianca, I knew the intent of your post, but I still thank you for your offered enlightenment. I always accept all the enlightenment I can get, and don’t assume that I know it all. I know you will agree with that. While there is plenty about Western values and Western culture that I dislike, I nevertheless note that aggressive propagandizing, with photojournalism and one-idea slogans included, was not a Western invention, but its modern form can be traced back to our mutual friend, Joe Stalin for the primary consumption of the Russian populace. Have you ever seen pictures of Soviet-era streetscapes with its ubiquitous red and white political slogans hanging from every second lamp-post? Have you ever read Soviet-era newspapers? I have. I know it’s dangerous to generalize as there will always be exceptions, but Russians generally are quite partial to heroic gestures, epic events, huge monuments and huge moments, and are not known for any great love of order, discipline and system. (This is not a criticism, merely an observation, and the opposite side of the coin is a delightful spontaneity in the typical Russian character which I enjoy very much.) The behavior that you commented on is not a transfer of Western values to Russia (Russia seems to have very few genuine Western values in any case, only distortions of some), but a genuine expression of a prominent form of “Russianness”. You correctly identified lawless heroics as an expression of Russian culture, and I merely pointed out that this cultural trait finds expression in much more than in a particular memorial service. This, of course, has a bearing on our discussions elsewhere.

Marzipan6, Much historic data is available on Stalin period. As a long term participant in the work of AAASS (The American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies), I had the opportunity and the priviledge of participating in many forums, and reviewing many a scholarly material on the Soviet era, as well as the history,economy, linguistics, art, and politics of other Slavic and non-Slavic cultures. Of course I am familiar with the propaganda of that era. Neither propaganda nor Communism are Russian inventions. You can go back to the period following the invention of the printing press, and see the depths of depravity that the propaganda plummbed in European wars, especially civil/religious wars in Germany. The nineteen century Europe is the study in the use of propaganda, as well as the advancement of the ideas of communism. The communist revolution in Russia --- the transfer of ideas, both the technology of propaganda and the ideology of communism --- has been carefully planned, supported, and finnally executed by the Western inspired and financed circles. These are historic facts. Communists first sought to destroy Russian religion and culture; they were the biggest enemies. Communism did not believe in a gradual path to modernization and change, but in ruthless destruction and visionary creation. It would have worked really well, had it not been for the darn human beings that were to implement the paradise. And those darn humans, come in a bundle that includes selfishness, corruption, pettiness, vengeance, jelousy, pride, anger, ignorance, glutiny and the rest. Skipping forward to today. I see the Stalinism as an abboration, not the soul of the nation. Trying to "mess" with that soul today is a mistake west is making. This is why it is high time for western media to stop lionizing these fools, and putting them on the pedestal of "human rights fighters". Their sweet tweet, in English, is a fool's errand.

The lawless heroics is today hardly an expression of Russian culture. Why do you think that majority of Russians do not like or approve of the foreign NGOs work? It is precisely because many of them engage is lawless heroics, but call this --- democracy! And the Russians who are fed up with this, are labeled as haters of democracy and lovers of autoritarian governance. I think that western propaganda will have to eventually make up its mind. Russians are either hopelessly incapable of respecting law, system, order or discipline, or are just the opposite --- craving autoritarian rule that will allow them to obediently live the disciplined life within a well known, predictable system. As it stands, propaganda is trying to have it both ways. As always. Propagandists never aim to be consistent, just loud and persistent. Russia has many challenges, but many of them are due to a slow pace of modernization, particularly beaurocracy. The slow pace of modernization at the level of citizen services indicates that reforms are aiming high, but fall short of promise where it counts --- the delivery of services. Some sincere appreciation of the reforms in US, for example, would do wonders to changing things much faster. The reforms in civil service produced much higher level of customer service, as more emphasis was placed on the front line services, and the layers of complexity collapsed. This modernization Russia needs, and could in a short amount of time bear fruit. I do not think that the resistance to change is the main culprit ---- not invented here is always more problematic obstacle. Large scale reforms are undertaken, but with modest results. I see some of the parallels with an early attempt here in US to modernize civil services. The fear of reform froze the system, and complex, top down structure failed to penetrate. Once the emphasis shifted to the front line customer service, the results were outstanding.

Bianca, have you ever heard an ordinary Russian, or one in a leadership role, say what he or she, personally, has learned from their country’s Soviet experience, and what they have committed themselves to do to ensure that totalitarianism can never return to their country? I haven’t. The concept of personal responsibility does not seem to be a big one in Russians’ minds, whether for the past, the present or the future. Of course people in Russia don’t like confusion – who does? But law-based order in which they themselves genuinely shoulder their own civic responsibility isn’t a priority, either. A big father-figure, be it the Tsar or Lenin or Stalin or Putin or whoever, serves instead. All too often, a citizen’s or a corporation’s personal security seems to depend not on whether they are law-abiding or not, but on whether or not they are in the good books of an appropriate official. Just as their chance of avoiding legal sanctions depends not on their innocence or guilt, but on whether an appropriate official has it in for them. And of course, Medvedev and Putin play the role of the good Tsar by grandly personally stepping in to some civic or industrial dispute, and ordering that this, that or the other be done. And sometimes the role of the bad Tsar, too. This is an echo of a feudal system where one's own safety depends on the right relationship with a feudal lord, not of a law-based society. My point being that heroics, whether lawful or otherwise, but certainly not within the context of a society based on law, seem to be fundamental to the Russian character. Wait until May 9, and you’ll see again what is probably the greatest annual heroics fest on the planet in which ugly realities are completely eclipsed by heroic gestures. This is what Russians seem to prefer. Display is of the essence, and substance is not.This is part of what makes it so difficult for Russia's neighbors to deal with it. They will not play along with the game of blinkered heroics.