The Moscow
authorities had warned the rally’s participants about their responsibility and
that they must not violate the law.
MOSCOW, August 4.
/TASS/. Organizers of unauthorized rallies in the Russian capital sought to
involve their participants in riots, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in his
interview with TVC, shown by Rossiya-1 TV channel on Sunday.
"Obviously, not
all who attended the rally had expected this scenario. But the organizers,
apparently, sought to drag them into riots," Sobyanin said. According to
the mayor, many of those who participated in the rally had no relation to the
upcoming elections to the Moscow City Duma (parliament).
"Many
participants of riots had no relation to Moscow and moreover, the elections to
the Moscow City Duma. I’m sure that Muscovites understand this very well,"
the mayor said, stressing that the riots were aimed at pursuing someone’s
political and selfish goals.
The Moscow
authorities had warned the rally’s participants about their responsibility and
that they must not violate the law. The police had warned about the risks of
various provocations at the unauthorized rally on August 3 and called on
citizens and guests of the capital to avoid participation in it.
According to the
Interior Ministry’s department in Moscow, some 600 people were detained for
taking part in the unauthorized rally in Moscow on Saturday, which drew nearly
1,500 people.
A criminal case was
opened into using violence against representatives of authorities and
participation in mass riots. According to the Investigative Committee, more
than 10 citizens took an active part in staging mass riots in downtown Moscow.
Six of them have been arrested under the court’s ruling. A total of 1,000 participants
of the rally have been detained and 88 of them have been placed under
administrative arrest.
Source: ITAR-TASS
04-08-2019
