But he is keen to update its traditional grass-roots activism with new methods.

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That rally was organized through social media, not by established opposition parties an indication that opposition to the government is increasingly being propelled by grass-roots activism.

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Politically inclined grass-roots activism on both the right and left is alive and well on Meetup in the thriving number of tea party and Occupy Wall Street groups using the site.

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The regionalisation of politics in Russia is not just a sign of grass-roots activism, says Mr Dmitriev, but a symptom of people's lack of trust in politicians and parties at the federal level.

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President Ronald Reagan's drive for deficit-inducing tax cuts and deregulation might not have worked if it were not for the grass-roots conservative activism of the 1970s that pushed national debate to the right.

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