by Greta Privitera
Ksenia Thorstrom is now in Finland: “We are 70 MPs against the Tsar, we demand his resignation”
The document said: “We, Russian local deputies, believe that Vladimir Putin’s actions harm the future of Russia and its citizens. We demand the resignation of Vladimir Putin from the post of President ». In a country where the opposition is being jailed or forced to silence, it is an unprecedented act of courage to call for the resignation of the President and Tsar. Some St. Petersburg city deputies have done so and so far collected more than 70 signatures from colleagues from other cities.
“In this general silence, where our parliamentarians don’t raise their heads, it’s us who have to do something. We, little fish of the sea, who have little political power, who only manage the day-to-day affairs of our communities, but like everyone else, we risk ending up inside,” says Ksenia Thorstrom, deputy for the Semyonovski district in St. Petersburg, on the phone , Signatories and announcers (also via social media) of the petition.
Where did the idea come from?
“We spent ten days discussing what to do on Telegram. After seven colleagues were accused of having discredited the agency with another document against the invasion of Ukraine, we decided to lend our support. We try to collect as many signatures as possible, the number of members is high».
On the other hand, why wouldn’t your document discredit authority?
“Because under the law it is not discrediting to ask for a resignation. Unbelievable. It took us days to formulate these two simple phrases to avoid any reproach. Here’s a second where they walk you in. We were careful never to say “war”, there are many cases of ordinary people who ended up in court for writing “war” on social networks ».
Commenting on your document, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said critical opinions are tolerated within the law.
“Who knows if our opposition will really be respected. We have tried to write a text that will not only bring together the liberal and democratic souls of this country, but also the disappointed Putin supporters. There is”.
Who am I? And why should they value a document against the Fuhrer?
“Putinians like strong men, the ones who win. The recent Zelenskyi counter-offensive is weakening the leader’s reputation. And then everyone saw that in the end he did not take Kyiv, as he promised. Putin was respected because he seemed tough, some of his people don’t like to see his weaknesses and this can be a reason to turn away from him ».
Do you think there are still many citizens who support it?
“Half the population lives a parallel reality. These people entrust their heads to television, do not read anything and seek independent information. They sincerely believe that Westerners are threatening Russia and that Ukraine is full of Nazis, just as the TV tells it. Among them is my mother. The other half, on the other hand, is against Putin but afraid to oppose him and face a bad ending, which is why we are moving forward ».
What comments did you receive after the document was published?
“Thank you. Many citizens were moved, this petition is one of the first and only signs of hope. Parliament does not represent any of us ».
Excuse me, why are you speaking so frankly?
“At the moment I’m in Finland, I’m the safest of the 70 signing MEPs and I’ve been chosen as the spokesman. I don’t know what will happen when I return, but I want to return. ‘
September 19, 2022 (Change September 19, 2022 | 22:09)
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