From Europe to the United States, hundreds of people gathered Friday evening to pay tribute to Alexei Navalny, the political opponent of Vladimir Putin who died at the age of 47 in an Arctic prison in circumstances that are still uncertain.
In Strasbourg, residents lined the city streets with memorials of flowers and candles in his memory.
Grieving residents of Strasbourg lined the city's streets with memorials of flowers and candles in memory of Alexei Navalny
Photo: SOTAvision#demonstration #Navalny #Putin pic.twitter.com/6nh3YCiv95
— SOTA English (@sotavisioneng) February 17, 2024
In Warsaw, demonstrators, mostly young and many upset, chanted “Putin, murderer” and “Never forget, never forgive”.
There were also several hundred of them in Berlin in front of the Russian embassy shouting “Murderer Putin!”
Putin in The Hague!
» (city where the International Court of Justice sits) or even on the other side of the Atlantic, in front of the permanent representation of Moscow in Washington.
“We will not give up!”
People around the world are protesting over the death of Alexei Navalny.
Not only Russian relocants, but also ordinary residents of foreign countries come out to honor the memory of the opposition politician.#Navalny #protests #Russia pic.twitter.com/PTcu2odNlc
— SOTA English (@sotavisioneng) February 16, 2024
It’s such a tragic day,” said Polina, a 29-year-old gymnastics coach, hailing Alexeï Navalny as a “symbol of freedom, bravery and resistance”.
Crowds of people around the world are chanting Navalny's name, speaking words of support to each other and calling for a Free Russia.
The video shows rallies in honor of Navalny in Limassol, Budva, Nice, London, Berlin, Tel Aviv, Chisinau, Budapest and Stockholm.
pic.twitter.com/hM7UBmnyDg
— SOTA English (@sotavisioneng) February 16, 2024
In Russia, people tried to defy the bans of the Moscow authorities who warned Russians against any demonstrations.
People lined up to lay flowers in several Russian cities at monuments to political dissidents.
Arrests were reported, particularly in the capital, by Russian Telegram channels specializing in monitoring the repression of protest actions.
In Moscow, people bring flowers in memory of Navalny to the Wall of Grief - a monument to the victims of political repressions.
Police are supervising.
Similar situations in other Russian cities.
Russian Telegram channels reported that in some cities, people were detained or… pic.twitter.com/AXELt8FH6M
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) February 16, 2024
Protesters in St Petersburg doing the most Russian thing ever, being hauled off to prison.
pic.twitter.com/melMdZ73iq
— Jay in Kyiv (@JayinKyiv) February 16, 2024
The West calls Russia to account
The West, for their part, is demanding accountability from Russia.
The British government summoned diplomats to the Russian embassy on Friday evening to let them know that Moscow would be held “fully responsible” for the death of Alexei Navalny.
London called for a “full and transparent investigation”, like UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres who called for a “credible” investigation.
“Scandalized”, the President of the United States Joe Biden accused his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin of being “responsible for the death” of Alexeï Navalny, a “powerful voice for the truth”, the European Union incriminating itself, “the Russian regime”.
“We hold Vladimir Putin and the Russian regime responsible,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese responded on Saturday.
The death of Alexeï Navalny speaks of "the weakness of the Kremlin and the fear of any opponent", said French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris alongside his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.
According to the leader of kyiv, it is “obvious” that Alexei Navalny “was killed like thousands of others because of one person, Putin”.
For her part, Ursula Van der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, gave her support to Navalny's family.
Dear Yuliya, you and your family have bravely supported Alexei Navalny in his cause for so many years.
Today, we also bow our heads to the entire family.
pic.twitter.com/sw34KmrPQi
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) February 16, 2024
So many accusations that the Kremlin deemed “absolutely unacceptable” on Friday, with Vladimir Putin remaining silent although informed.