Support The Moscow Times!

Moscow Authorities Approve Nationalist Rally on City Outskirts

Earlier on Monday Dyomushkin told the Interfax news agency that the department had turned down his application to hold the Russian March on Nov. 4, a public holiday known as National Unity Day. Maxim Stulov / Vedomosti

Moscow City Hall has approved the Russian March, a nationalist rally held every year, in the Lyublino district on the city's outskirts on Nov. 4, the RIA Novosti state-run news agency reported Monday.

It remained unclear whose initiative had been approved, because earlier in the day news reports said a similar application submitted by Dmitry Dyomushkin, a notorious nationalist activist, had been declined by the city authorities.

“It has been approved for another group of people. They applied for a march and a stand-up meeting [and] it was suggested that they hold a march from noon to 1 p.m. in accordance with the route they applied for, and hold … a meeting of up to 5,000 people,” Vasily Oleinik, first deputy head of City Hall's department of regional security, was cited by RIA as saying.

Earlier on Monday Dyomushkin told the Interfax news agency that the department had turned down his application to hold the Russian March on Nov. 4, a public holiday known as National Unity Day.

“The department of regional security rejected [my application] without giving any reason,” he was cited by Interfax as saying.

Dyomushkin added that there was hope that applications submitted by other nationalist activists would get approval.

A criminal case was launched against Dyomushkin in June after anti-Islam slogans were spotted during the 2013 Russian March. He is suspected of publicly calling on people to break the law, Kommersant reported.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more