Thousands join opposition rally in Moscow after crackdown

MOSCOW: Thousands of opposition supporters rallied in Moscow yesterday after mass police detentions at recent protests that have been among the largest since President Vladimir Putin’s return to the Kremlin in 2012. On a rainy afternoon, protesters huddled under umbrellas on the central Prospekt Andreya Sakharova street, where city authorities had given permission for the rally to take place.

The White Counter, an NGO that tracks participants in rallies, counted 7,200 people, while the massive police presence included officers in riot gear. In recent weeks, thousands have attended street protests calling for free and fair elections after the exclusion of several opposition figures, including allies of top Putin critic Alexei Navalny, from local Moscow polls next month. Riot police and the national guard detained more than 2,000 at the previous two rallies, which were not authorized by city officials.

Yesterday, some protesters carried placards with slogans such as “Give us the right to vote!” and “You’ve lied to us enough” while others held up pictures of activists arrested at earlier demonstrations. Most opposition candidates who have been banned from participating in the vote have been jailed for violating protest laws. A dozen protesters including university students face criminal charges of “mass disorder” that risk lengthy prison terms, despite their supporters insisting protests were peaceful.

Yesterday’s rally was authorized, meaning participants should not face detention. But Navalny, who is currently in jail, urged supporters to walk peacefully through the city afterwards, when they will risk detention for illegal protests. “After the demonstration we’re going for a walk round Moscow,” his team wrote on social media yesterday. Moscow police and the powerful Investigative Committee issued a warning against participating in unsanctioned protests which it said would be “immediately halted.”

“They need blood,” pro-Kremlin tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda wrote of the opposition yesterday, quoting several celebrities warning against taking part in unauthorized protests.