Police Arrests 500 People In Russia Over Protests

Police Arresting Protesters in Moscow

Protests in Russia continued on Tuesday causing about 550 protesters to be arrested in Moscow alone, in the second day of the protests against what they call rigging of general elections on Sunday. On Sunday, Russia United, Vladimir Putin’s party won the elections by 49 per cent, which is almost a failure for the party that had more than 60 percent in the 2007 elections.

Opposition leaders argued that the results would have been even worse for Putin’s party had the elections not been tempered with. OSCE-led observers agreed that the ballot was influenced to favor Russia United.

Internet-based protesters promised that the demonstrations would continue in spite of police warnings that any participant in a demonstration that was not sanctioned by the local authorities would be arrested.

A group of Facebook protesters promised that 5,000 would protest on Saturday in central Moscow. Another group, called “against swindlers and thieves,” promised that protests would be held every day at 7:00 pm local time.

Police said that 300 people were being held in its custody, waiting for the Moscow courts to decide on Wednesday on what is to become of them.

Authorities sent pro-Kremlin young people in the Triumph Square in Moscow, where they kept the protesters to the edge of the square as they marched holding flags and banging drums. 200 arrests were made in Sankt Petersburg, Putin’s hometown.

Authorities were taken by surprise by the outburst of anger in the streets of large cities on Monday, arresting hundreds of people for disobeying police orders.

Vladimir Putin announced that he would run for another term in office, after the party has appointed him as candidate in September. Many Russians fear that his return to Kremlin could bring a new authoritarian era for the country, which knew a more decentralized rule under Dmitry Medvedev.