November 28, 2005
The city of Moscow has been strongly criticized for banning a rally against right-wing extremism and anti-Semitism, slated for Sunday. “The authorities have made it clear to us who they consider as their allies. Anti-fascists are not counted among them,” the organizing committee of the march said in a statement. The proposed demonstration, which was to have taken place on 27 Novemner, was seen by its initiators as a response to the 4 November procession of some 1,000 ultra-nationalists in central Moscow with xenophobic and anti-Semitic banners and chanting. The participants in that march – which was held with permission of the city administration – also called for Russia to cleanse itself of immigrants and non-Russian minorities. Some of them were seen giving Nazi salutes and sporting swastikas. On Sunday, police briefly detained some of the organizers of the anti-fascist event for holding an unapproved rally near the Moscow mayor’s office to protest the cancellation of the anti-fascist march.
