“The rats are usually not allowed on the Russian consulate,” one stated.
The 2 teams continued to chant at one another in Russian for about half an hour.
Professional-Navalny protestors held banners saying “Putin is a killer”.Credit score: Rhett Wyman
“Russia,” shouted the pro-Putin camp.
“Russia however with out Putin,” was the response that boomed by way of the road.
The professional-Russian protest was organised by Simeon Boikov, an Australian pro-Putin propagandist who goes by the web alias ‘the Aussie Cossack’.
In September final 12 months, Boikov was granted citizenship of the Russian Federation, in accordance with a decree signed by President Vladimir Putin.
The staunch supporter of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has been residing within the Russian consulate in Sydney for greater than a 12 months, dodging arrest warrants, and has lengthy dreamed of the Kremlin giving him citizenship.
On Saturday afternoon, Boikov posted a 2.5hr video to X titled “PRO RUSSIA RALLY LIVE From The Russian Consulate In Sydney”.
The video confirmed him standing on a stage subsequent to a poster of Putin, saying “we’re right here at this time in our alternative ways with our totally different flags to precise our opinion”.
He referred to as the individuals in attendance a “small household,” saying “every of us are entitled to our opinion and to share it”.
Addressing Navalny’s demise, who he known as a “chief of the ethno-nationalist sect,” he stated he didn’t want to speak about it, however needed to handle it after being requested how he might attend the occasion in gentle of what occurred.
“I oppose the censorship or incarceration of dissent – or peaceable dissent – anyplace on the earth at any time,” he stated.
“But when Alexie Navalvny had been an Australian citizen in Australia at this time, he can be in an Australian jail for incitement for violence and for racial discrimination.”
Navalny and his many supporters anticipated he might die in jail, nevertheless it was not thought to occur so quickly.
In a press release, NSW Police stated a “deliberate, authorised meeting has concluded in Sydney’s east” and “on the identical time, an unauthorised meeting was dispersed, and the group left with out incident”.
It didn’t specify which protest was authorised however stated there have been no arrests.
“The general public meeting was held on Fullerton Avenue, Woollahra, with officers hooked up to Jap Suburbs Police Space Command, assisted by Site visitors and Freeway Patrol Command, Operations Help Group, and the Central Metropolitan Area Excessive Visibility Police, in attendance,” a press release stated.