White Circle Protest in Moscow Announces Disobedience to Come if Putin Declares Himself President February 27, 2012, 9:07 am MOSCOW - I spent an hour standing on the sidewalk in grayish sleet on Sunday, and it was wonderful. Tens of thousands of people had come out to link arms around Moscow's nine-mile Garden Ring road and form a "white circle," white being the color of the Russian protest movement. Where I was, linking arms proved impractical because people stood on the sidewalk two and three deep, and so clumps were created. There was strolling and mingling when a famous actress, a celebrity lawyer and other prominent Muscovites were spotted. There was also a lot of waving: as cars drove by, drivers and passengers honked to protesters and brandished out their windows all things white - tiny ribbons and cheerleader pompoms and bed sheets. For all the joy and feeling of camaraderie this protest brought its participants, it was also ominous. In less than a week, on March 4, Russia will hold the first round of its presidential election. Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin has recently made clear that there will be no runoff - he plans to declare victory immediately.The opposition applied for a permit to hold a protest the day after the vote, and the request was denied. But thousands of people have said in a Facebook poll that they are resolved to protest anyway, permit or not. Sunday's gathering was a rehearsal of the coming standoff. Innocent in appearance, it was also a demonstration of force, and a first step toward organizing mass civil disobedience. While rallies, marches and pickets require official authorization, standing around wearing a white ribbon or a white scarf or holding a white balloon does not. But it's a matter of interpretation as to when standing around constitutes a picket. The police could easily have found a formal reason to declare the White Circle gathering on Sunday illegal and detain or fine participants. Hundreds of troops, some in riot gear, were there, and dozens of bus-size prisoner-transport vehicles were parked along the Garden Ring. But the police maintained the tolerant attitude they first adopted back in December, when the demonstrations against Putin started. Once Putin declares himself reelected, he will probably want them to change their attitude toward the protesters. Perhaps this is why Moscow authorities are refusing to issue a permit for a demonstration on March 5. But what will happen if thousands or even tens of thousands of people turn up for an illegal protest that day? Will the police be directed to break it up by force? And if they are, will they obey this order? Russia's future may depend on whether they do.