EDUCATION SPECIAL NO. 7 (1799) САНКТ-ПЕТЕРБУРГ-ТАЙМС WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014 WWW.SPTIMES.RU CHARLIE RIEDEL / AP The XXII Winter Olympic Games came to a close on Sunday with a tearful goodbye from one of the Sochi mascots. Widely regarded as an success, the games saw FAREWELL Russia grab the most gold despite early predictions to the contrary. Sochi is now preparing to host the Paralympic Games, which are due begin on Mar. 7. ADVERTISING EDUCATION BUSINESS Taking Charge Market Favors St. Petersburg Hotels New data suggests 2013 was a great year for local hoteliers. Page 6. Changing attitudes key to education in Russia. Page 10. LocalNews www.sptimes.ru | Wednesday, February 26, 2014 ❖ 2 Local Protesters Acquitted in Maidan Event By Sergey Chernov He confronted the view that Maidan THE ST. PETERSBURG TIMES protesters were nationalist. St. Petersburg artist Pyotr Pavlensky, “I was at Maidan in December and charged with disorderly conduct fol- talked a lot with the people who were lowing a protest in support of Ukrai- there,” he said. nian protests that he and a group of “It’s not some group of fascists or activists staged in central St. Petersburg neo-Nazis. There is an ultra-right-wing on Feb. 23, has been acquitted, his legal subculture there, but it’s only about representative Dinar Idrisov reported. five percent. They are a group of foot- Dzerzhinsky District court judge ball hooligans and some nationalists, Larisa Brazhnikova closed the case due but they are few in number. to the lack of evidence after a 10-hour “Mostly it’s just ordinary people hearing late on Monday, Feb. 24. there; they are old men, women, chil- Pavlensky and a group of activists dren, students and businessmen. There held a protest in support of the Ukrai- were even homeless people there. Peo- nian protesters by re-enacting a portion ple from every social stratum [took of the events at Maidan, as Kiev’s cen- part]. This is what Maidan is about. tral Independence Square is known. At But the media, especially the Russian about 7:30 a.m. Sunday, they raised media, show it as if it is mob of undis- both Ukrainian and black anarchist guised fascists. This is a lie. To be able flags, set fire to about 50 car tires and to speak about it, you should go and began banging on sheets of metal. see it [for oneself]. Held on Maly Konyshenny Most, a “What people on Maidan are bridge near the Church on the Spilled against is imperial chauvinism, which is Blood in central St. Petersburg, the the true fascism. These are people who protest event was called “Freedom” want to have their own state.” and was organized to show solidarity One of the participants of the Free- with the Ukrainian protesters and urge dom event who was not detained said it social revolution. was important for Russian left-wing ac- “Burning tires, waving Ukrainian MAXIM ZMEYEV tivists and anarchists to show support and black flags, and the rattle of blows Artist Pyotr Pavlensky and a group of activists set tires alight in the city center on Sunday in support of Ukrainian protesters. for Maidan. on iron is a song of liberation and revo- “Not only the Russian state media, lution,” the activists said Sunday in a hour, according to the participants, un- ruling. If it’s a prison term, they’ll find demonstrate society’s obedience in the but also some left-wing activists see statement posted on Avtonom.org, the til firemen and the police arrived. me,” he said before learning of his ac- face of growing repression and the Maidan as a right-wing protest,” said website of Libertarian Communists. Pavlensky was detained on the site, quittal. The activists faced fines or a country’s turn toward a police state. If the activist, who asked not to be named “Maidan is spreading irreversibly and along with activists Yaroslav Gradil brief prison sentence of up to 15 days. charged and found guilty with criminal in print. enters the heart of the Empire. The and Maria Alexandrova. They were Pavlensky is currently a suspect in a misconduct, he faces up to seven years “Even if there are right-wing peo- struggle against imperial chauvinism charged with Part 1 of Article 20.1 (dis- criminal case opened in Moscow fol- in prison. ple, nothing prevents left-wing activists continues. We are fighting for freedom orderly conduct) and Part 5 of Article lowing his protest performance in Red On Jan. 20, investigators visited the from seizing the agenda and creating — yours and ours. On this day, when the 20.2 (violation of the rules governing Square timed to coincide with Police offices of the Dozhd television channel their own social revolution. We brought state urges to celebrate the Defenders of the holding of a public event). Later in Day on Nov. 10, 2013, when he nailed in Moscow and seized video footage of a black flag alongside the Ukrainian the Fatherland Day, we call everybody to the day, Pavlensky’s apartment was re- an interview with Pavlensky to conduct flag to show that revolution is in our stand for the celebration of Maidan and portedly visited by the police. what they termed “expert psycholin- heads and hearts. We also wanted to in defence of their freedom. The bridges While Alexandrova was released guistic analysis.” honor the memory of those who per- are burning and there is no way back.” later on Sunday, Pavlensky and Gradil ‘I was at Maidan in Speaking late on Monday Pavlensky, ished [in Kiev]. Our comrades and Further on in the statement, they were held overnight in police custody who spent two weeks in Kiev on Maidan good friends were among them.” warned Ukrainian protesters against and were taken to Dzerzhinsky District December and talked last December, said his protest was ded- Despite being acquitted, Pavlensky nationalism and appealed to the Rus- court on Monday afternoon. a lot with the people icated to the protesters in Ukraine. said the protest also attracted attention sian people, predicting a similar future Speaking to The St. Petersburg “This is a gesture of solidarity with from both the counter-extremism Cen- for Russia. Times late on Monday, Pavlensky said who were there,’ said people who stood and keep standing ter E and the criminal investigations “We face our own ‘Maidan,’ a more the activists spent seven hours in the on Maidan, and of course with those department. fearful and bloody one,” the activists courtroom. Human rights activist Di- Pavlensky. who perished there; the people who On Monday, the Fontanka.ru web- said. “Putin will sacrifice even more peo- nar Idrisov, who defended Pavlensky, died for freedom,” he said. site reported that traffic police had re- ple [than overthrown Ukrainian presi- filed numerous motions to throw out his scrotum to the cobblestones and sat According to Pavlensky, the site for ceived instructions to “pay special at- dent Viktor Yanukovich] to preserve his the case, which the judge consequently waiting for the police to unfasten and the protest near the Church on Spilled tention to cargo when inspecting suspi- influence and not to be torn away from turned down. arrest him. The performance was called Blood was chosen deliberately. “That’s cious vehicles in order to exclude the his oil feeding trough. Long live Free- Pavlensky said that he left the court “Fixation.” where the assassination of the emperor, possible transportation of used car tires dom! Long live social revolution!” at around 8:30 p.m., when the judge In an interview with The St. Peters- Alexander II, took place, and so we set or other highly inflammable materials At least five people took part in the took a 1 1/2 hour break to prepare the burg Times in Nov. 2013, Pavlensky a Maidan in the heart of the empire,” with the aim of using them in any un- event, which lasted for about half an ruling. “They will inform me about the explained the performance aimed to he said. authorized rallies.” РЕКЛАМА ALL ABOUT TOWN Wednesday, Feb. 26 floor. Check their website for more arena next to Prospekt Bolshevikov Business owners interested in ex- information. metro station. panding their business into Western Europe shouldn’t miss the seminar Saturday, Mar. 1 Monday, Mar. 3 Belgium: Food for Thought at the You may have been able to talk your Are you the type of person who can’t Belgium Consulate. 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Pavlova’s work will be on dis- Nissan Russia’s human resources di- hand to make sure you give the right play until Mar. 20. rector Yaroslava Vasilieva will be the impression in a week’s time. honored guest at SPIBA’s Breakfast The Begin Grad and MBA Fair is Tuesday, Mar. 4 with the Director, a new series of today in the Kempinski Hotel Moika SPIBA’s ongoing series of Look@It events that invites local business 22.