Thousands Rally Against Putin
Police broke up an opposition rally in Moscow on March 20, as protestors gathered in cities across Russia to demand better living standards and more political freedoms. Opposition groups declared a national "Day of Wrath" to mobilize growing political discontent in Russia where living standards have dropped since the economic crisis hit.
The Independent reports that some 5,000 protesters called loudly for the resignations of the local governor Georgy Boos and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. The Moscow Times adds that the opposition groups had hoped for a large turnout that would increase the pressure on the government after they attracted 12,000 people to a Kaliningrad rally in January that rattled the federal authorities.
In Moscow, thirty activists were arrested as police dispersed a demonstration in the city's central Pushkin Square. Forty more demonstrators were detained by law enforcement at other rallies scattered across the capital.
Memorial, a human rights group, issued a complaint after the Moscow authorities refused to sanction a demonstration in the capital. It read: "This yet again shows that Russia does not observe the 31ststatute of the constitution guaranteeing freedom of assembly."
The Financial Times reports that US Senator John McCain warned this week that the Russian protests would test the Kremlin's tolerance for dissent. He said: "The eyes of the world will be watching."