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Creation of “Hyde parks” in Moscow not to affect rallying elsewhere - mayor

The authorities got engaged in negotiations with political parties and movements that delegated their representatives to the working group

MOSCOW, October 12 (Itar-Tass) —— The creation of “Hyde parks” in Moscow will not affect rallying in other places, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.

He said that the administrations of the Gorky and Sokolniki Parks, where “Hyde parks” will be created, would regulate mass events in their own.

“This will be done. The sites will be located within the parks, but this does not mean that we will forbid rallies and marches elsewhere. These will be local sites [Hyde parks] for online events,” the mayor said.

Earlier a special working group was set up to choose places for Moscow's “Hyde parks” where mass rallies can be held. The group included politicians and public figures, Deputy Moscow Mayor Alexander Gorbenko said earlier.

The authorities got engaged in negotiations with political parties and movements that delegated their representatives to the working group.

Gorbenko said that there are enough mass media resources in the world and in Moscow for anyone to express his position and they range from official Channel One to Dozhd (Rain) television channel.

Gorbenko said the Moscow city authorities would make no changes to the federal law on rallies.

“The mayor of Moscow has so far not given any order to amend Law No. 54 on Rallies,” he said.

“The fact that such information has been circulated by mass media ... is linked to people's irritation with rallies,” Gorbenko said.

Some mass media cited highly placed sources in the Moscow city administration as saying that the city authorities were considering amendments to the rallies law.

Earlier, Sobyanin said the creation of the Russian version of London's Hyde Park “is not a simple matter”.

“There must be special federal legislation that would allow us to do this. And there must be public consent,” he said, adding that the city authorities are ready to provide “one, two, three or ten such places”.

President Vladimir Putin suggested choosing a place in Moscow where people could rally and express their views.

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev proposed this idea back in 2009. At that time, the city government led by Yuri Luzhkov offered a place in Gorky Park.