Russia’s protest movement goes Vrrooommmm!

Russian demonstrators have started a new trend – the car rally. For the second time in less than a month, members of the country’s growing protest movement decked out their cars in white ribbons, balloons and signs and hit Moscow’s streets on Sunday to demand free and fair elections ahead of March 4’s presidential ballot.

What makes protesting in a car more attractive than other, more traditional forms of demonstrating? Lot’s of things, the first reason being it’s cold. Very cold. Russia’s bitter winters are no secret, and with sub-freezing temperatures it’s no wonder that protesting with the heater on is an appealing option.

A second possible reason could be that it’s easier to hop in one’s car and cruise around town than to acquire the appropriate permits to stage a demonstration. Although the Kremlin appears to have softened its stance on mass assemblies in recent months by allowing some of the largest protests the country has seen since the fall of the Soviet Union, it still controls when and where rallies can take place.

According to the police only 150 cars participated in this weekend’s car rally, while even organisers put the number much higher at around 2,000.