They gave in

The Solidarity movement issued a statement in which it calls the concession of the authorities, who agreed to allow the rally on Triumfalnaya Square on October 31, a victory.

The statement says:

“The Solidarity movement considers the approval of the protest rally on Triumfalnaya Square on October 31 and the willingness of the authorities to renounce violence during it to be a victory for the opposition.

Nine times in a row, rallies on Triumfalnaya were violently dispersed by police and riot police. For the first time, participants in actions in defense of Article 31 of the Constitution managed to achieve public recognition by the authorities of our legal right to gather on Triumphal Square. This is an undoubted achievement of civil society in protecting the Russian Constitution.

The Kremlin's concession was the result of citizens' selfless and consistent struggle for their rights.

Solidarity regards the mayor's office's proposal to limit the size of the October 31 rally to eight hundred participants as a recommendation. We respect the opinion of those who consider this recommendation a form of refusal to approve the event. However, we deny the authorities the right to limit the size of the upcoming rally.

We call on all people of good will who care about the fate of democracy in Russia to come out to Triumfalnaya Square on October 31 and declare their disagreement with the policies of the president and the government. We are confident that the victory achieved should unite, and not quarrel, everyone who cares about freedom of assembly in Russia.

At the same time, we note that the struggle of citizens for freedom of assembly is far from over. Having made concessions on Triumfalnaya Square, the authorities simultaneously adopted reactionary amendments to the legislation, which deprive citizens of the right to organize protests who were brought to administrative responsibility for violating the rules for holding street events. The adopted amendments are a continuation of the authorities’ course towards the destruction of civil liberties and a gross violation of the Constitution.

Therefore, we declare our intention to continue the struggle for the implementation of Article 31 of the Basic Law of Russia.

Participants in the protests managed to achieve the exercise of the right to hold a rally on Triumfalnaya Square. The next step is to defend the right of citizens to freedom of march.

On December 31, we call on defenders of the Constitution to take to the streets again to organize a civil march in defense of this right.”