David Vs Goliath

Written by Seth Richardson

Edited by Zaara Mohamed

The death of Alexi Navalny and why the world needs more people who believe that justice is worth fighting for.

The death of Alexei Navalny in prison will not have come as a surprise to anyone who has followed his remarkable fight against Putin. Whilst some of the beliefs that Navalny held are far from the politics that I believe in and base my worldview around, his bravery in standing up for what he believed in, in fighting the terrible injustice he saw in Putin's rule of Russia, is rare for a political figure to display. By returning to Russia after surviving an initial poisoning attempt by the Russian state, Navalny must have known that he would be condemned to a life spent in the confinement of Russia’s tough jail system. To go back in the face of this, leaving his wife and family, shows not just great bravery but also a powerful commitment to fighting for justice. It is this commitment that I believe we should learn from; I am not saying that we should become martyrs in fighting for the world we want but we should not be afraid of doing everything in our power to create a better world. In Britain, we have no Putin-like figure to stand up to, but, different shadows still lie over our politics. Inequality, discrimination and other forms of injustice may seem like daunting and difficult problems to tackle but if one man can stand up to a ruthless autocrat, we can stand up to systemic injustice here with the collective power of hope. 

Early Russian media reports surrounding the death of Navalny suggested that after a short walk around his prison complex in Siberia, Navalny had simply dropped dead. It seemed too perfect for Putin that his main opponent and a man who had survived being poisoned by a nerve agent only years before would die suddenly–especially in a week that his death could be covered up internally with gains in the Russo-Ukraine war and shortly before “elections” that will happen later this year. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that the Russian media's initial explanation of his death was unlikely and it being a premeditated political murder more believable. Navalny’s death sparked outrage across the world adding to the unabating yet futile storm of outrage that has been targeted at Putin since he invaded Ukraine two years ago. The severity of threats of action and further sanctions are no longer as potent. After all, Putin has managed to survive, nearly unscathed, the barrage of measures that the West has thrown at him and his closest associates since he invaded Ukraine. 

Navalny was a controversial figure for many. As well as his anti-corruption campaigning and staunch opposition to Putin, he held many views far from the liberal ideology most people reading this article probably hold. Navalny was known to have attended far-right nationalist marches and had made comments about immigrants that were undoubtedly racist. While these views tarnish the legacy of Navalny, it is important to remember that politics is in no way black and white. Even one of our most nationally beloved former prime ministers, the stubborn war hero Winston Churchill, held unquestionably racist views. Considering this, we should still celebrate Navalny for his unwavering display of political bravery standing up for political freedom even in the face of threats against his life and the general belief that Putin is a man in a high castle, too tall to reach. 

History is full of people who have stood up for what they believe in in the face of adversity, most recently the story of Alan Bates and his story to gain justice for the post office workers caught up in the Horizon scandal that gripped the nation. The dramatized retelling of the story led to the government finally promising a speedier rollout of compensation payments to victims. It was also the 25th Anniversary of the official enquiry into the murder of Steven Lawrence whose mother has been fighting for justice ever since. These are only a few of many cases of people showing a similar unwavering determination to make sure justice is served. These may seem different to the case of Navalny who was not just fighting injustice but also an autocratic state, but they share the common theme of an undying hunger for justice. We need more political figures whose role in the political sphere is to stand in solidarity with these groups, to fight for social justice and a better world for all. However, we also need to recognise that we have a duty as a political electorate to demand and fight for justice ourselves. It may seem that the death of Navalny leaves us with no glint of hope, that the foundations of Putin's dictatorship have not been shaken. However, his fight will be carried on by his wife, and there is undoubtedly growing resentment from the Russian people towards the oppression they face. This was clear at his funeral as the crowd that gathered chanted for the Russia that Navalny had dreamed of, a Russia free from not only Putin but his self-forged shackles of war. For the wider world, we should make sure that hope does not die with Navalny, not only a collective hope that freedom from tyranny will shine like a forgotten sun across the world, but also, that other fundamental elements of social justice will be shone on. 

As a pessimist and sceptic myself of how we can change such a deeply unjust world, I understand that people may point at my argument and suggest that more than just the intangible quality of hope is needed to bring about real change. Hope is a powerful force in politics though, as Martin Luther King stated: “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope”. It was this “infinite hope” that was carried throughout the Civil rights campaign of the twentieth century and led to the overcoming of one of the biggest injustices experienced in modern history. Not only does it show that hope is an important ingredient to social justice, but it also shows us that injustice can be, and has been, overturned in the past. If we can galvanize movements for social justice across the world and fight against the social injustices we see with the relentless desire for change seen in Navalny, the world will be a better place. 

Navalny's story for many may seem like one of defeat, he failed in his aims of overthrowing Putin's regime, and he may seem stronger than ever. However, to admit defeat would also be to admit to a lack of hope–instead, we must try to allow hope to flourish, to bloom like the flowers that will be laid on Navalny's tombstone. Putin's aim was not just to kill Navalny, but also, to kill off hope. By fighting for oppressed and voiceless people across the world, and by fighting for social justice, we can make sure that hope does not die but will live on. We will make sure that Putin and fear do not win.