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About 10 speakers take floor at Moscow opposition rally

All speakers demand the fulfilment of the resolution, which was adopted at the protest action on the Bolotnaya Square
Photo ITAR-TASS
Photo ITAR-TASS

MOSCOW, December 24 (Itar-Tass) — About ten speakers took the floor at an opposition rally under the slogan “For Fair Elections!” on Academician Sakharov Avenue in downtown Moscow. Not all of them were supported by the protesters.

The situation in the demonstration area is calm. According to the Interior Ministry, about 29,000 people were participating on the peak of the demonstration. The inflow of participants equalled with their outflow at 15:20 Moscow time.

Meanwhile, the rally organizers made public absolutely other figures, which differ several times even from those that some of them announced. According to blogger Navalny, about 100,000 people gathered on the avenue, Nemtsov stated about 200,000 protesters. The supporters of various political and even public movements, including sexual minorities, were participating in the protest action.

The demonstrators were carrying white balloons and white ribbons that are the symbols of the rally.

The protest rally is in full swing. But not all speakers were welcomed unanimously. For instance, people barracked A Just Russia deputy Ilya Ponomarev, which was accompanied with the slogans “Give away your mandate!” The mob was seeking to interrupt Boris Nemtsov and Vladimir Ryzhkov, as well as Artemiy Troitsky with loud cries. Troitsky went on the stage in an extravagant white suit with a red bow-tie.

Garry Kasparov was also barracked, and, therefore, he was almost not heard.

Poet Dmitry Bykov, a well-known blogger Alexei Navalny, journalist Olga Romanova and writer Boris Akunin were already speaking up at the rally.

Big screens were placed on the stage, where Leonid Parfenov and oppositionist Sergei Udaltsov delivered their video addresses.

All speakers demand the fulfilment of the resolution, which was adopted at the protest action on the Bolotnaya Square, particularly the dismissal of Chairman of the Central Elections Commission Vladimir Churov and election rerun.

“People want to name our movement “Honest Russia”. The honesty is a key word that unites all of us. We want to live in an honest country,” Akunin said.

The speakers did not avoid the New Year holidays, not forgetting to congratulate all protesters on a coming holiday.

This time the organizers of the rally prepared better for it in the technical way – a good stage and a good sound were provided.

Reinforced police patrols are on duty at the rally site, a police helicopter is monitoring the situation from the air, the main police department deployed an operative headquarters.