On 4 November 2013 in Moscow, Russian nationalist organizations celebrated the Day of National Unity with rallies and marches.
”Russian March” in Lyublino
The main event of the day was “Russian March” in Lyublino, organized by the ethno-political movements “Russians”, National Democratic Party (NDP), and the “Russian National Union” (ROS). According to observers from the SOVA Center, the march was estimated to be attended by about 6,000 people.
Activists from the following organizations were seen participating in the march: “Russians” (including regional organizations around Moscow), “Russian Joggers”, “The Union of Orthodox Banner Bearers”, the NDP, “Russian Khimki” (Guestbusters) “Block of Free National-Socialist Societies”, “Russian Right-Wing Party” led by Viktor Ivanov (Istrakhov), “Other Russia”, “Common Cause”, “Russia and Poland”, the paratroopers of the movement “For Fair Power”, fans of football clubs (CSKA, Spartak, Lokomotiv, Dinamo), the ecologists of the organization “Green World” (formerly “Volnitsa”), as well as representatives of the Cossack and neopagan associations.
The March was attended by Alexander Belov, Dmitry Demushkin, Vladimir Ermolaev (“Russians”), Ivan Mironov (ROS); Konstantin Krylov, Vladimir Tor (NDP), Evgeny Valyayev, Alexey Mikhailov (formerly of “Russian Image”), Alla Gorbunova (RUS), Vladimir Istarkhov (“Russian Right-Wing Party”), Egor Kholmogorov (formerly of NDP), and Alexander Sevastyanov (ex-leader of the National Sovereign Party of Russia (NDPR)).
The marchers passed by Pererva street, chanting racist and abusive slogans (examples: “To Russians – a Russian Moscow, cancel 282!”, “Russia for the Russians, Europe for the whites”, “Forward, Russia, we are with you!”, “One for all and all for one”, “Moscow is not the Caucasus”, “A Russian is one who does not smoke and does not drink”, “Die for Russia, not for drunkenness”, “Kill a Khach (an ethnic slur referring to non-Slavic people from the Caucasus), save Russia!”, “Kosovo Is Serbia!” and more), and brandishing their arms in a Nazi salute. Marchers carried the flags of the different organizations, Imperial flags, and banners and posters on which were written: “Arise, Russian people!”, “Lyublino is the new Biryulyovo”, “For introducing a visa regime with the countries of Central Asia and Transcaucasia” (NDP), “Government – to the work camps of Poland” (Association “Russia and Poland”), “Russians, nature, verdure!” (“Green World”). In the column where the association “Russians” marched, a brass band played “Farewell of Slavianka” and “Katyusha”, two very well-known Russian tunes.
Before the demonstration started, the police removed a drunken skinhead from the march, and the organizers of the march insistently demanded the press to remove their cameras. The march began around 1:10 PM.
About 2:30 PM detentions were carried out in the column “Unit of Free National Socialist Societies”, while approaching the place of the rally. The police detained several people, and the rest scattered. The crowd surged away from the column of the march and broke through the fence. The reason of the detentions was an attempt to set fire to a smoke bomb.
The police reported a total of about 30 people detained for the display of Nazi symbols and salutes.
The event ended with a series of short speeches. Announced speakers Alla Gorbunova and D. Demushkin read out the resolution of the “Russian March”. Ivan Mironov criticized Alexei Navalny’s address, who had urged everyone the evening before to take part in the “Russian March”, but stated that he would not go because of the marginality of the event. During a pause the columns played the piece “Flight of the Valkyries” by Wagner. Afterwards the band “Kolovrat” played some of their hit songs.
Participants of the event broke the windows of several cars parked at the metro station "Lyublino", and also started a scuffle with a few people who seemed to be from the Caucasus. In the same march a journalist of nonwhite appearance was also hassled.
Marches at the metro station “Oktyabrskoe Polye”
Also on November 4, two more events were held. Demonstrators marched from the metro stop Oktyabrskoe Polye to the stop Schukinskaya, where they held meetings.
The first march was organized by the group “Russian Coalition of Action”. The column, which gathered about 550-600 men, went first.
The march was attended by: the political party “Liberty” (“Volya”), “People's Militia under the names of Minin and Pozharsky” (NOMP), “Great Russia”, “Russian Coalition of Action”, “Joint Council of Civil Society”, “The Kosovo Front”, “Russian Renaissance” (represented by Alexander Amelin), “Christian Revival” (represented by Vladimir Osipov), “Russian Stronghold” (represented by Andrei Pakhomov), and “The Shield of Moscow”.
The demonstrators chanted slogans such as “Only Russia and only victory!”, “Russians, forward!”, “One for all and all for one!”, “Russia for Russians, Moscow for Muscovites”, “Russian order on Russian land”, “Down with migrants, higher salary!”, “Moscow is not the Caucasus”, “Down with criminal authority”, “Here is a Russian March, tomorrow the Kremlin will be ours”, “Russian flag above the Kremlin”, “Black-white-yellow is the Russian flag”, “For Russians, a Russian Moscow, cancel 282”, “Biryulyovo to every home”, “Russia and Serbia are united”. The marchers also demanded to release Russian nationalist prisoners.
At the rear of the procession the party of activists from "Liberty" chanted "The peoples are at war while the governments luxuriate", "So that tomorrow you don’t become slaves, walk with us, walk with us", " You dream of a beautiful life, first serve the Fatherland".
After the procession a meeting was held, during which speeches were made by Nadezhda Kvachkova, Yuri Yekishev (“Parabellum” and NOMP), Valery Kubarev and Andrei Saveliev (Great Russia), Ivan Otrakovsky (“For Holy Russia”), Andrey Pakhomov (“Russian Stronghold”, formerly of “Great Russia”), Polina Galushko (civil activist), Aleksandr Amelin (“Russian Renaissance”), Nina Shalmina (movement against corruption), Svetlana Peunova (“Liberty”), Kirill Barabash (“For a responsible power”), two Serbian nationalists, and Vladimir Osipov (”Christian Reival”).
Afterwards was a concert by Yulia Andreeva.
During the procession several people wearing
masks were detained, which did not provoke protests.
The second event was called the “Tsarist Russian March” and it was attended by approximately 120-150 people. It involved the “Union of Orthodox Banner Bearers” and three participants from the “Shield of Moscow”. There was no sign of other political symbolics, except those of the little-known “Russian Orthodox Brotherhood”.
Participants of the rally held icons and portraits of Nicholas II while shouting monarchy slogans such as “Russia needs a tsar!” and “Monarchy is the best system known to humanity”. Opponents of electronic cards brought up the rear under the slogan “UEC - death of the country and people”.
The marchers chanted "Glory to Russia", "Russia will be free", "Russian order on Russian land", "Russia needs a Russian Tsar", "God Save the Tsar", "Moscow - the Third Rome", " For faith, king and country", "Down with the Jewish yoke", "God, king, nation".
In the area of Marshal Vasilevsky Street the column stopped and waited for the event of "Russian Coalition of Action" to end.
Organizers of the "Tsarist Russian March" hastily removed the banner of "Russian Coalition of Action" from the backdrop of the stage. Beneath it was another banner on which was written "Tsarist Russian March”, written in the same style as the slogan "For the Future of Russian Kingdom" which was also hung up on the stage.
The meeting started with the participants singing the song “Many years, glory to Russia” accompanied by bell-ringers. A speech was given by Yuri Gorsky ("Russian Movement Against Illegal Immigration "), who also led the rally. More speeches were given by Leonid Simonovich - Nikshych and Yuri Ageschev ("The Union of Orthodox Banner Bearers"), Friar Ambrose, and a representative of a little-known Cossack organization who called to establish "Russian business and Russian churches" in order to revive the "Pepsi-Cola country”.
Before the demonstration began, the congregation sang “God Save the Tsar”.
Following the meeting a concert by Ivan Dushenov was given, who was presented as a Russian rapper.
On Pushkin Square a meeting of LDPR took place, led by Vladimir Zhirinovsky, and attended by several hundred people. Speakers gave speeches of traditional hurrah-Patriotic rhetoric.
The Union of the Russian People (NRC) under the leadership of Mikhail Nazarov met at Church of the Nativity of the Virgin in Putinki on Malaya Dmytrovka Street and held a procession along the boulevards surrounding.
See photos and video reports:
Lyublino photo essay by the SOVA Center
“Oktyabrskoe Polye”. March RKD
