Communist Party members will join Saturday's "March of Millions" opposition protest, the party's local committee director said Wednesday, marking the first time since December that the Communists will participate in a mass anti-Kremlin demonstration under the party banner.
Valery Rashkin said Wednesday that Communists would attend Saturday's march
from Pushkin Square to Prospekt Akademika Sakharova because the party agreed with most of the goals of the protest, including early parliamentary elections and change in the country's political system, Interfax reported.
Rashkin said six State Duma deputies and three city lawmakers from the party — all from the Moscow party committee — would be in the Communist contingent at the march.
But deputy chair of the party's central committee Vladimir Kashin told Interfax that first secretary Gennady Zyuganov and other higher-ups did not plan to attend the event. Instead, they favored the party's own day of protests later this month.
Kashin also contradicted Rashkin's statement regarding the compatibility of the demands to be made at the opposition event with those of the Communist Party, saying they "radically differed."
Kashin said Communist Party rallies would be held Sept. 22 in cities across Russia, including on Ploshchad Revolyutsii in Moscow, to protest rising prices for utilities and Russia's accession to the WTO last month.
Related articles:
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
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 every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
