Russia gears up for day of protests in Moscow on 14 April
Interfax
Moscow, 11 April: More than 20,000 people could take part in mass events planned by a range of public organizations to take place in Moscow on 14 April. These organizations include Other Russia, the Congress of Russian Communities (KRO), the Movement Against Illegal Immigration (DPNI), Young Guard and the Union of Right Forces (SPS).
"At least 5,000 people will be taking part in our event. I am sure that it will pass off calmly and in an organized fashion," one of the DPNI leaders, Aleksandr Belov, told Interfax today.
"There could be isolated acts of provocation, but think what it means to attack a DPNI event. You would have to be suicidal. No-one will attack us, and our supporters will conduct themselves in an organized fashion," he said.
Belov said that the event held by the DPNI and KRO will not overlap with the Other Russia demonstration.
The KRO and DPNI will hold an event on Saturday (14 April) under the banner "This is our city". State Duma deputy Dmitriy Rogozin said that the slogans at the event will be environmental, social and patriotic.
Another organization holding an event in Moscow on Saturday is Other Russia. The Dissenters March organizing committee has submitted a notification to the city administration about their intention to hold a march numbering up to 2,000 people from Pushkinskaya Ploshchad (Pushkin Square) to Teatralnaya Ploshchad (Theatre Square), one of the activists Aleksandr Averin said this week.
"We received a reply saying that we can only hold a protest involving up to 1,000 people on Turgenevskaya Ploshchad (Turgenev Square)," Averin said. He could not say what route Other Russia would choose for its march, but said that it will be a "peaceful mass event".
More than 15,000 people are intending to take part on 14 April in a March of Consent (earlier described as Consenters' March), which is being organized by Young Guard-One Russia. (Passage omitted: details of event reported earlier in report entitled "Pro-Kremlin youth movement to counter opposition rally with Consenters' March")
Another event taking place on 14 April is one entitled "SPS for fair elections". The event, which is being organized by the SPS, will take place on Slavyanskaya Ploshchad (Slav Square), and is due to involve 1,000 people.
Human rights activists are concerned that there could be clashes between protesters on 14 April.
"There is a danger of clashes, and because of this an enormous responsibility rests with the authorities. If scuffles break out, the police will have to step in to end them," the head of the For Human Rights organization, Lev Ponomarev, said today.
He also thinks that the law-enforcement authorities should not use force against the event to be staged by the opposition organization Other Russia, but should monitor the DPNI and KRO event to ensure that there are no slogans that incite ethnic division. (Passage omitted: Human rights activist, the deputy director of the Sova analytical centre, Galina Kozhevnikova, has similar concerns)
Aleksandr Belov has responded to these accusations as follows: "They are right. Sometimes slogans like this (radical-nationalist ones) are heard, but they are not banned by law. Specific forms of incitement are banned - those impugning the dignity of a people or incitement to lynching. Incitement of this sort is not heard in our ranks. And if someone decides to express these slogans, then I can say we live in a society composed of different types of people with different views, and we cannot deny these people the right to come to some place or other."