Russian scientists stage rare anti-government demo

June 07, 2015 00:14

Russian scientists staged a rare anti-government demonstration today, amid fears that after cracking down on the media, rights activists and the opposition, the Kremlin is now training its sights on science.

Several thousand protesters including scientists and intellectuals took to the streets of Moscow to express fears that scientific research in Russia faces dire prospects due to stifling bureaucracy and mismanagement.

Prominent opposition figures including top activist Alexei Navalny joined the rally.

"Authorities are strangling science" and "Nobel laureates are foreign agents" read some of the placards held by protesters.

"Putin cannot solve problems, he is the problem," read another sign.

Astrophysicist Boris Shtern told the rally: "Alas, science is slowly dying. The massive advance of ignorance is being supported by the media and authorities."

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