Former Chess Champion Is Now A Dissident

One of the greatest of the world chess champions was Garry Kasparov from Russia. He was a skilled and very creative player who ruled the chess world for many years. These days he is lending his talents to a dissident movement opposing Kremlin policies.

Kasparov, along with Eduard Limonov (author and head of the banned National Bolshevik Party), have organized several demonstrations against the Russian government. They claim the policies of Vladimir Putin are strangling democracy in Russia.

Most of the demonstrations they have organized have been broken up police because they were not "authorized". But Kasparov and Limonov perservere. Their next march is scheduled for June 9 in St. Petersburg at an international conference. This would be an embarrassment to the Kremlin, as it tries to present Russia as a thriving and stable country to potential investors.

At a recent news conference, Kasparov told reporters, "We're simply obliged to continue to move forward. Of course we are afraid, but the marches will continue, the authorities understand this and it seems to me that this is a watershed time."

It can be pretty scary to march in this country the way some of our police react (such as the LAPD in the recent immigrant rally). Can you imagine how it must be for a dissident in Russia? They may have made some recent strides toward democracy, but they are still a long way from a free society.