Thousands Rally Over Economy

02 February 2009, By Alexandra Odynova, Staff Writer (The Moscow Times) Angered over mounting economic problems, thousands of people took to the streets in Moscow and other cities around Russia over the weekend to denounce President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in the largest display of public discontentment in years.





United Russia, the party that dominates Russian politics and is led by Putin, brought thousands of people to Manezh Square near the Kremlin to rally in support of Putin and Medvedev.





The largest anti-government rally took place Saturday in Vladivostok, where the Communist Party led some 2,500 people in a march against the government and a recent decision to increase tariffs on imported cars. The livelihood of many local residents depends on imported cars.





Vladivostok protesters carried banners reading, "Kremlin, we are against you," and some shouted slogans for Putin to resign, news agencies reported.





Vladivostok police kept a close eye on the unauthorized rally but did not intervene. The police violently dispersed a similar protest in December, detaining about 100 people.





In Moscow, about 1,000 Communist demonstrators gathered with signs reading "Putin's plan — Peril to Russia!" at a sanctioned rally on Triumfalnaya Ploshchad, near the Mayakovskaya metro station. Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov called on the government to abandon Western economic models and nationalize broad swathes of the economy.





The 90-minute demonstration was cordoned off by hundreds of OMON riot police, and a helicopter patrolled the sky over central Moscow.

(Comment by: Michael Baehr) LET'S GO BACK TO THE USSR!