Dissenters' March
The march of the malcontents (Russian Марш несогласных, literally march of Nichteinverstandenen ) is the name of a series of demonstrations, which were organized by the Russian opposition forces between 2005 and 2007. The organizers are very heterogeneous political groups whose spectrum of liberal pro-Western forces extends to the right - and left-wing groups.
Chronology
2005
A first demonstration under the name march of the malcontents took place at Moscow's Lubyanka Square on the occasion of Remembrance Day for the victims of political persecution on 30 October 2005. Had called for the rally, among others, founded the same year United Civil Front of the former world chess champion Garry Kasparov. Several Russian opposition groups such as the Democratic Union of Walerija Nowodworskaja refused to participate because of the organizers and the controversial National Bolshevik Party of Russia belonged. At the event, 300 to 400 people involved.
In December of the same year, the United Civil Front, organized together with other opposition organizations marches of the discontented in 20 Russian cities. The numbers of participants were in most cases with only a few dozen.
2006
On 1 December 2006, the opposition coalition The Other Russia, which also includes the United Civil Front heard that it wishes to organize a demonstration called "March of the malcontents " with up to 5,000 participants in downtown Moscow on December 16, 2006 declared. In the related press release, it said:
For organizers of the demonstration included the following, organized in alliance The Other Russia, Associations:
- The People's Democratic Union of Mikhail Kasyanov
- The United Civil Front Garry Kasparov of
- The Republican Party of Russia's State Duma deputies Vladimir Ryzhkov
- The National Bolshevik Party of Russia of the writer Eduard Limonov
- The party Trudovaya Rossiya Wiktor Anpilov.
In addition, the organizers joined the radical communist vanguard of red youth and the organizations Oborona and Smena.
The liberal parties Yabloko and Union of Right Forces refused to participate in the demonstration.
The demonstration was originally supposed to start on the Triumfalnaja Square and carry on Tverskaya Street towards the city center. However, the town council banned the parade and allowed only a rally on the Theatralnaya place. The organizers protested against this restriction and announced that they would defy the Marschierverbot, prompting them to call Moscow officials accused unrest. On December 12, the Office of United Civil Front Garry Kasparov was searched. The Interior Ministry justified this with the suspicion that it might come to the demonstration to " extremist calls " the part nationalbolschewistischer or communist groups. Garry Kasparov spoke, however, of an attempt at intimidation by the authorities.
To demonstrate according to official figures in 2000, according to press reports up to 4000 people. The event was monitored by 8000 forces of the police and OMON. The rally itself went without any major incidents. Only when Garry Kasparov, the participants called, " White Russian station " to run as a demonstration to the subway station, stepped in the vigilante. According to official figures, there were about 70 arrests.
2007
March in Saint Petersburg on March 3, 2007
On 1 February 2007, the opposition coalition The Other Russia announced its intention to conduct a march of the discontented in Saint Petersburg on 3 March. The organizers reported on a demonstration of about 2,000 people, which should lead brochure about the Suvorovsky Prospectus of the Smolny from Ligowski. However, the city council forbade a procession in the city center, but offered as an alternative to a rally outside the Finland Station. The prohibition of the move was justified by the fact that this would mean too great a barrier to the road. The organizers of the march could be on the alternative offer of the city administration does not, and announced his intention to march despite the ban on the originally planned route. In addition to The Other Russia, the Petersburg section of the Yabloko party to participate in the march called for. On the announced day of the demonstration gathered at the original intended starting point of several hundred people. They broke through the cordons of police stationed there as a precaution, and went out to meet the announced march up towards the Nevsky Prospekt. There, the demonstration grew by added flowing people. After a few hundred meters, the demonstration of OMON units was stopped and forcibly dissolved. 113 people were arrested according to official figures, including the writer Eduard Limonov and the deputy of the city council Sergei Gulyaev, who is one of the main organizers of the march. Overall, the number of demonstrators was, according to Interfax in 2000 to 3000 people, according to the newspaper Kommersant at least 5000 people.
March in Nizhny Novgorod on March 24, 2007
A scheduled for March 24 March of the malcontents in Nizhny Novgorod was following a similar pattern as the previous march in St. Petersburg. The local regional organization of the Other Russia announced a demonstration that would lead through the center of Nizhny Novgorod. The expected number of participants was given as 900 people. The city council banned a march in the city center and offered as an alternative to a demonstration outside the city center on Lenin Square. The reason given was, among other things, that on the same day in the city center was to be held a children's festival called " City of Champions ". As in the previous marches, announced the organizers of the march, to want to march despite the ban on the originally planned route.
Ahead of the march banned several of the organizers were arrested and confiscated 60,000 copies of a brochure agitation of the United Civil Front. On March 24, the originally scheduled day of the demonstration, the city center was backed by a large contingent of 20,000 police officers. Isolated groups of a few dozen demonstrators who defied the ban on demonstrations, were arrested immediately. In addition to the demonstration participants also several journalists were arrested. According to official specify the number of those arrested was 30 people.
March in Moscow on April 14, 2007
The of The Other Russia for April 14 in Moscow planned march of the malcontents should result from Pushkin Square on Tverskaya Street, the Plaza of the Revolution by the will of the organizers. However, the Moscow authorities forbade the move on the grounds that on Pushkin Square staged by the Molodaja Gvardija, the youth wing of the United Russia party had already planned. Instead, it was offered to the Other Russia to carry out a pure rally at Turgenev Square. The organizers insisted, however, perform a march and called on their supporters to to to gather on Pushkin Square and draw from there to Turgenev Square. On the day of the announced march, the area was guarded by the Pushkin Square by a large contingent of police and OMON special unit. Attempts by the protestors to form columns was stopped by the security forces with high hardness. A short time succeeded the protesters to form a column with about 800 participants. To unsanctioned rally on the Turgenev Square finally gathered about 1,500 people to the speakers included the satirist Viktor Shenderovich and the Russian ex-premier Mikhail Kasyanov.
Overall, participated in the protests, according to the newspaper Kommersant about 3,000 people participated. 500 were arrested, including opposition leader Garry Kasparov.
On the Moscow Sparrow Hills was held on the same day a counter-event to the "March of the malcontents " instead, which bore the name "March of the contented " (Russian Марш согласных, literally "March of the Dissenters "). As the organizer of the event, the youth wing of the United Russia party, Molodaja Gvardija occurred.
March in Saint Petersburg on 15 April 2007
The organizers of the second march in St. Petersburg, the United Civil Front and the Petersburg Regional Association of Yabloko, reported on April 15 at a demonstration which should result from the pioneer space to Smolny. However, the City Council banned as in the previous demonstrations of a parade through the city center and only allowed a rally at Pioneer Square.
The rally itself, in which about 2,000 people took part, was uneventful. When, however, about 200 people gathered after the end of the event in front of a closed metro station went OMON units violently against those present before because they held an unauthorized meeting in the opinion of police officers. According to the St. Petersburg authorities led to 120 arrests.