| Moscow City Hall changed its mind and allowed YABLOKO
to organize a demonstration on May 1
The Moscow authorities yesterday let theYABLOKO party organize a demonstration
in the centre of Moscow on May 1, under the slogan "Civil Society
Against a Police State".
The party initially submitted a request to hold a demonstration two
weeks ago, but City Hall refused, saying the request had been draw up
incorrectly. The aim of the demonstration was to protest against the "creeping
attack by the state" on civil liberties, following the events of
March 31, when police broke up an unsanctioned picket in front of the Duma,
which YABLOKO and KPRF held to protest against the restrictive bill on
public gatherings.
Two weeks later the city authorities changed their mind and allowed
the demonstration. YABLOKO suspects that this was due to intervention
from the Kremlin, which believed that City Hall had gone a little too
far when it turned down the liberals' application.
See also:
Freedom
of Assembly
| 