MOSCOW, May 3 (Itar-Tass) — Moscow mayoralty has refuted the reports that is has authorized an oppositionist action titled ‘March of the Millions’, which a number of opposition parties and movements hope to hold Saturday, May 6.
“There’s nothing of the kind,” Alexei Mayorov, a deputy chief of the regional security department told Itar-Tass. “The only thing we’ve come to agreement on with the petitioners is a meeting on Bolotnaya Square from 17:30 through to 19:30. The limit for the number of participants is 5,000.”
Efforts to coordinate the march continue and no decision has been taken yet, he said.
One of the organizers of the action, Left-Wing Front leader Sergei Udaltsov said in his turn he had been told by mayoralty officials that the action had been fully agreed upon.
“I don’t have any other information,” he said. “I spoke to the aides to Deputy Mayor Gorbenko and they told me the march and the meeting had been fully coordinated.”
Alexei Mayorov said that a precise agreement on the march might be reached Friday.
Co-chairman of the Moscow branch of the Solidarity movement, Sergei Davidis said earlier that the mayoralty had given consent to Saturday’s March of the Millions.
“We’ve secured consent for marching along Yakimanka Street and holding a rally on Bolotnaya Square and that’s precisely what we proposed on our part,” Davidis said. “People will have an opportunity to get together in an unhurried way and to express their personal positions.”
He also claimed that the authorities would give the final written reply to the organizers of the march Friday morning.
“In the morning, we’ll get an official answer to our notification and it’ll be clear then whether or not the action has been coordinated,” Davidis said.