Raffi Hovhannisyan Continues His Visits to the Regions.
Taking into account that the Yerevan City Council election will take place in a month, one must assume that a set of parties will also hold community and neighborhood meetings in the capital. Neither those events, nor Raffi’s upcoming rally, nor the “swearing-in of new Armenia,” I hope, will be prevented by the authorities. However, in order that those are in a warm, calm, and secure atmosphere, one should solve at least two issues. Firstly, the representatives of the government, the siloviki will have to explain why they secretly watch and sometimes also film those events.
I think it is normal when a police officer in a uniform openly does it; if God forbid that there should be an incident, one should have as complete a filmed picture of it as possible. However, when it is done secretly by people who wear civilian attire, moreover, so “skilled” that it is clear to all those present at the rally who they are and from where, it is incomprehensible. Such “classified” work causes unnecessary tension and raises suspicions. If it had happened 7-10 years ago, I for one would have thought that the reason for that filming is to blackmail those present, to invite them to the police precincts for “talks.” The meetings are open to everyone, a few “legal” (belonging to the mass media and “open” police officers) video cameras record everything, what is the point in playing “Agent 007”? If there nonetheless is a need for that, one should explain that clearly.
The second issue is more difficult. At both Raffi Hovhannisyan’s regional meetings and, I am sure, during his Yerevan campaign, there are and there necessarily will be people who will express non-oppositional, or rather “opposing the opposition,” opinions. The oppositionists are convinced that the actions of those people are not “spontaneous,” that they are sent by governors, mayors, or local oligarchs to show their loyalty to the government in such a way. There is logic in it; if you are not a supporter of the given opposition party, what are you doing there? It is very probable that you have come to deliberately provoke this incident.
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When, at what moment should one stop the “dissident” and ask police officers to get him out of the scene?
At the end of the day, the possibility of a mental patient is not ruled out either. And in order to understand that a person suffers from such a disease, one needs at least 2-3 minutes. Let me tell a story that happened to me personally yesterday. A woman got into the elevator of the Press Building and at first, inquired quite calmly and politely when one would put an end to TV series. However, the next remark of that woman was that 200 thousand people had died in Armenia because of those TV series. While we were getting from the 15th floor to the first floor, my interlocutor managed to turn the air blue. Naturally, I told her to go to where she belonged. However, politicians must listen to people in such cases. Their task is more difficult.
Aram ABRAHAMYAN
