Feb 15

Feb 15 Remembering Alexi Navalny

Demonstrations, Donald J. Trump, Performance, Protest, Public Declarations

On Friday, February 16, 2024, Russian dissident Alexei Navalny was murdered while being held captive in a Russian prison located in Yamalo-Nenets in Western Siberia. According Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime, Navalny was not feeling well after taking a morning walk. Prison officials claimed, “All necessary resuscitation measures were carried out but did not yield positive results [...]. The paramedics confirmed the death of the convict.”

While the timing may have been a surprise, Navalny’s murder was a certainty. Putin feared Navalny and the work undertaken by his Anti-Corruption Foundation that exposed Putin’s corrupt ways. For Putin, Navalny was a larger-than-life threat. Even though Navalny was in captivity, he continued to inspire the opposition.

I remember that cold Friday in 2024 all too well. Given the time differences, members of Chicago Russian community had time to organize an evening memorial service for Navalny in the plaza adjacent to the Wrigley Building. It was one of the more solemn demonstrations I have attended, filled with tears and candle light. A year later, many of those same people returned to the Wrigley Building plaza to the commemorate the first anniversary of Navalny’s murder.

Since Putin’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Chicago’s Russian community has held regular demonstrations against Putin and his attempt to conquer Ukraine. Early last year, however, the Russian community went mysteriously silent. Today, it was good to again see their familiar faces.

The demonstration lasted just under an hour, with many more people speaking than in the past. Those taking the mic kept their remarks brief, with many speaking in their native Russian. Lots of pedestrians enjoying the seasonally balmy temperatures paused to see what was happening. The 50 or 60 demonstrators caught the attention of the Sunday shoppers, while the attractive signage displayed on black stands set in front of the demonstrators explained why the Russians were demonstrating.

Yesterday, British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper revealed that British toxicologists, using material samples from Navalny’s body, determined that Navalny had been poisoned. The fatal dose came from a toxin known as epibatidine, which is produced by the South American dart frog. Rest assured: when Navalny took his morning stroll, he was not bitten by a dart frog. The species does not inhabit Western Siberia.

Two enterprising demonstrators held signs highlighting that epibatidine had been used to poison Navalny. One name-checked the toxin. The other’s black sign included a illustrated frog, with the word “Poisoner” scribbled next to the frog.

The violinist who usually accompanies the Russian community’s demonstrations outdid herself. She selected solemn classical music, accentuating the respectfully somber mood.

Unfortunately, the guy who usually wears a Putin mask was absent. At prior rallies, the demonstrators brought a makeshift prison cell constructed with cardboard and polyethylene piping. Midway through the demonstration, “Putin” was arrested and then placed behind bars. It served as great street theater, but the Russians probably decided it was inappropriate given that today’s demonstration was a memorial service.

Hopefully in the months to come, members of Chicago’s Russian community will turn out for more demonstrations against Putin and his war in Ukraine.

[Photographer’s Note: Before the demonstration began, one of my photographer buddies noted just how challenging the light was today. The white sunlight slashed its way across the plaza. My buddy noted that it would be virtually impossible not to blow out the whites. I noted the accentuated haze that hung over the river.]

[Click on an Image to Enlarge It. The Images Are Not Necessarily in Exact Chronological Order]