Monstration ‘05

Monstration 2005. Novosibirsk

This year “Monstration”, informal demonstration of creative youth, originally called by CAT (Contemporary Art Terrorism) in 2004, gathered 400 people. This year CAT openly refused from any leading role in the demonstration, giving tradition a freedom to develop on its own.

Organizers of “Monstration” had been promised by trade unions that they will not be harassed by police, but reality was different. 10 AM participators of monstration gathered at House of Officers - there were slogans such as “Forward towards bright future!” (With a photo of Putin with a hat of Lenin), “I’ll give a chat with 200 rubles” “Seize the time!” (written in style of a known glue advertisement), “Best people are already on sale!” and many others.

Participators of “Monstration” were waiting for rest of the demonstration, with participation of Communist Party of Russian Federation, Motherland party and others, which was about to start from the circus. But when main colon marched by Chelyukincev street towards House of Officers and turned towards Krasniy Prospekt and Monstration was about to join the queue, 30 police blocked their way.

It is curious that a group from party “Patriots of Russia” could join the queue without problems, just as group from Stalinist “Vanguard of Red Youth”, which was scanning radical slogans against Putin.

Monstration 2005. Novosibirsk

Eventually small groups of “monstrants” managed to get by police cordon, they marched by Kamenskiy street and tried to join main demonstration in a square, scanning “Bu-ga-ga!”. Monstrators showed up next to the square during speech of state duma deputy Anatoli Lotkya, whose speech was impossible to hear due to noise of monstrators. Eventually police formed a cordon, and did not let monstrators to square, where at this point some 2500 people were gathered. When police was approaching monstrators, they moved forward by Krasniy prospekt towards regional administration.

During and after the events some 10 participators were arrested, one police officer threated them with charges of “extremism” but eventually all were freed during the same day without charges.

Text: A-Infos