A traditional May Day Democratic Manifestation was held
along Nevsky Prospekt and ended with a rally at Konnyushennaya
Square. This year the main slogan of the manifestation was
“For Russia Free from Political Reprisals and Religious
Obscurantism!”

The democratic manifestation was prepared and conducted by
an organizational committee formed on the basis of the Democratic
Petersburg coalition. According to different estimates, the
number of participants of the manifestation amounted to 1.5
– 2 thousand people.

The rally meeting at at Konnyushennaya Square was opened by
Alexander Kobrinsky, deputy of the Legislative Assembly from
the YABLOKO party.

“In many countries people are organise people’s fronts.
And only in Russia the government has organised a front against
its own people. But soon people will come to the government
saying, “You’re not our sovereign. You are a thief and an
usurper!” Kobrinsky said.

“Twenty years ago it was hard to imagine a slogan of
today’s manifestation – ” For Russia Free from Political
Reprisals and Religious Obscurantism!” We could not event
think then, that such a pullback would have been possible,”
noted Boris Vishnevsky, YABLOKO MP in the Legislative Assembly
of St.Petersburg.

Speakers from other democratic parties and movements represented
in the organizational committee also spoke at the rally.

The Democratic Petersburg coalition which initiated the Democratic
Manifestation comprises the YABLOKO party , the RPR-Parnas
party, the Solidarity movement, the Human Rights Council of
St. Petersburg and other organizations.

Photographs by Inna Naryshkina, Victoria Andreeva
and Leonid Toropov.

See also:

Human
Rights

Freedom
of Assembly

Freedom
of Speech