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Putin’s Party Labels Protest Movement ‘Sect’

© RIA Novosti . Alexander Vilf / Go to the mediabankA woman distributes white ribbons at a protest in Moscow in February
A woman distributes white ribbons at a protest in Moscow in February - Sputnik International
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Russia’s White Ribbons anti-Putin protest movement was likened to a religious cult blamed for a number of suicides in the 1990s by a senior United Russia official on Monday.

Russia’s White Ribbons anti-Putin protest movement was likened to a religious cult blamed for a number of suicides in the 1990s by a senior United Russia official on Monday.

“We can compare this political sect to the White Brotherhood religious sect of the 1990s,” wrote Andrei Isaev, first deputy secretary of the party’s general council presidium, in an article on United Russia’s official website.

The White Brotherhood doomsday sect was popular in Ukraine, Russia and other former Soviet republics in the years following the break-up of the Soviet Union.

Tens of thousands of Russians protested against alleged electoral fraud in favor of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s United Russia at December 4 parliamentary polls. Smaller rallies also took place after Putin’s victory in the first round of March 4 presidential polls.

“Like the White Brotherhood, the White Ribbons movement sees itself in an exclusive light,” Isaev wrote. “Their word is right and the words of other are invariably bad.”

Isaev’s criticisms were slammed by opposition figures.

“This is just an idiotic comment,” Yabloko party head and protest leader Sergei Mitrokhin told RIA Novosti. “That’s all I have to say about it.”

“This is just cheap propaganda,” said Left Front leader Sergei Udaltsov. “United Russia is itself a sect and one that I hope will soon be disbanded.”

Isaev’s comments came after state-run television channel NTV aired a program alleging that protesters were paid to attend the mass demonstrations that rocked Russia this winter.

The Anatomy of a Protest program also said the protests were funded by the United States.

The 36-minute program sparked fury among Russia’s protest movement and some 1000 people rallied outside Moscow's Ostankino television tower on Sunday. Around 100 people – including Udaltsov – were detained by police.

 

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