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Over 7,000 people gather in Bolshaya Yakimanka Street for march “For honest elections”

People bear flags, streamers, white balloons and white ribbons that became symbols of this action

MOSCOW, February 4 (Itar-Tass) — More than 7,000 people gathered in the Bolshaya Yakimanka Street to participate in the march “For honest elections” which will be the most numerous of four Saturday actions in Moscow, Itar-Tass reports.

According to Tass, people bear flags, streamers, white balloons and white ribbons that became symbols of this action. Activists of the march also hand out ribbons.

Organisers of “For honest elections” had sent in an application for 50,000 participants this Saturday, but in real fact, less people will come for the march and rally. At least, nearly 28,000 people had confirmed their desire to participate in the social site Facebook that has become the main grounds for preparing and advertising the march.

To compare: Facebook had over 46,000 who wished to come for the rally “For honest elections” in the Sakharov Avenue on December 24 and 40,000 – in the Bolotnaya Square on December 10.

However, police has not received official data on the number of participants this Saturday.

According to a Tass dispatch from the Bolshaya Yakimanka, formation of columns has started. Organisers of the event decided that there will be four of them. The march will be headed by the “joint civil” column – without party symbols; it will be followed by liberals, then – nationalists, and the march will be rounded off by left-wing organizations.

Columns are formed after people pass metal detectors; there are 32 of them in all.

The columns will march along the Bolshaya Yakimanka to the Bolotnaya Square where, as organizers state, there will be “a brief and vigorous 30-minute rally”.

The situation is quiet now as a whole. Yakimanka is fenced off. Police patrols are on duty. Streets, along which columns will pass, are cleared of snow. Participants are braving temperatures nearly minus 20 degrees Celsius. People feel comfortable for the time being; the more so, since organizers promised to treat marchers to hot tea.