Russians who wanted to express their anger that President Vladimir Putin is about to be inaugurated for a fourth term took to the streets Saturday only to be met by a security force that was seemingly determined not to let them have their voices heard. Police arrested some 1,600 people across the country, including opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who had called for the protests in more than 90 towns and cities across Russia. Before his arrest, Navalny managed to briefly address supporters in Moscow and led them in a chant, “Down with the czar!”

Police did not hesitate to resort to violence and used their batons against proteters who had gathered under the slogan, “He is not our czar.” Despite the quick police action, the demonstrations showed how Navalny can gather support of people across the country. The protests also seemed to benefit from the momentum of the recent demonstration on May 1 against apparent efforts by authorities to block the Telegram messaging app. But this year’s protests didn’t come even close to matching the approximately 100,000 people who gathered in Moscow in 2012 before Putin’s last inauguration.

Although Navalny has only managed to get a core group of supporters to come out to protesters since 2012, authorities seem to know Putin’s popularity could shift quickly. “Sociologists have noted … that surveys have measured a reservoir of latent discontent in the middle class in Moscow that could well up again, explaining the Kremlin’s nervousness and the heavy police presence,” notes the New York Times.