Moscow to mark May Day with rallies of various political forces

MOSCOW, May 1 (Itar-Tass) -- Representatives of various political
forces will gather in central Moscow this Sunday to greet May Day together
and once again state their views.
As always, according to already longstanding tradition, the largest
will be the rally of the Moscow Federation of Trade Unions, which is
expected to gather more than 25,000 people on city streets. The main
slogan of this Sunday's demonstration is "For Decent Jobs and Wages".
Activists of trade unions beginning 09:00 to 10:00 will march under
the slogan from Tverskaya Zastava Square, along Tverskaya-Yamskaya and
Tverskaya Street to Tverskaya Square, where a rally of many thousands will
take place.
Traditionally, activists of the United Russia party will join the
workers. The meeting will be concluded with a concert of groups of amateur
performers of Moscow organisations.
Moscow's Communists will also have a rally in central Moscow. The
march will start at 11:30 from October Square and move to Theatre Square
where they will hold a mass meeting.
Members of the party Just Russia at 10:00 will march from Tsvetnoi
Boulevard to Trubnaya Square, Petrovsky Boulevard, Bolshoi Putinkovsky
Side Street and Tverskaya Street near Pushkin Square, where at 10:40 a
meeting "Just May Day" will take place.
The Liberal Democratic Party will hold a meeting at Pushkin Square at
14:00. The LDPR action will be devoted to the fight against functionaries'
arbitrary rule and corruption in Russia as well as to the "Russian issue".
There will be also marches and meetings of the radical left -
anarchists, anti-fascists and socialists. A few more groups of citizens
will hold demonstrations to express solidarity with the ideas of May Day.
At 16:00, there will be a march "Anticapitalism-2011" under the slogan
"Our Modernization is Socialism" organised by the unregistered party "Rot
Front", the Russian Communist Workers' Party and the movement Left Front.
Activists of the Solidarity movement will march from Serpukhovskaya to
Bolotnaya Square, where they will hold a "Festival of Arts and Protest".
The weather on May Day is expected to be warm and comfortable enough,
but participants of rallies and demonstrations should not leave umbrellas
at home - it may rain lightly in the city. According to weather
forecasters of the meteorological bureau of Moscow and the Moscow Region,
the temperature in the capital will rise to 16-18 degrees Centigrade.
More than 100,000 people will ensure security and order in Russian
cities during meetings to be held to mark Day of Spring and Labour.
During the celebrations, public order will be ensured by more than
104,000 people, including more than 84.600 policemen of territorial
departments of interior affairs, special-purpose police, students of the
Interior Ministry's system of educational institutions and about 5,400
servicemen of the internal troops, First Deputy Interior Minister Mikhail
Sukhodolsky said.
In addition, voluntary squads, Cossacks and guards from private
services will help them to ensure public order.
Sukhodolsky noted that the requirements to the police remained the
same -- neat appearance and polite and correct treatment of citizens.
The Interior Ministry's specially-formed operational staff will
coordinate activities of all the forces.
Sukhodolsky warned all chiefs of territorial offices about personal
responsibility for ensuring public order and security in their territories.
Rallies and marches to mark May Day traditionally will be held all
over the country. More than 20 meetings are planned in the capital alone.
About 6,000 policemen will be on duty in Moscow, and 1,500 members of
public order squads will help them.
A religious holiday, the first Sunday after Easter ("Red Hill" in
Russia), is also marked this Sunday, when many people will attend church
services and visit the graves of their loved ones. According to law
enforcement authorities, in the Moscow Region, more than 200,000 people
will visit cemeteries, and more than 100,000 will visit churches. Security
measures are tightened up at the sites as well.