Migrants in Russia will ask Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin to cancel Sunday’s planned “Russian March,” the head of Russia’s Federation of Migrants Muhammad Amin Majumder told the newspaper Izvestia on Friday.
“We are unhappy about the ‘Russian March’ … the very name of the event represents a threat to multi-ethnic Russia,” he said.
The Mayor of Moscow gave the green light for this year’s Russian March to be held on November 4 in two parts of the city, setting the limit of 20,000 people at one event and 10,000 at the other. Earlier this week the Russian March organizers said they would only be going ahead with the second event in th center.
If they do not succeed in getting Sunday’s rally cancelled, they hope to change the date and location for it, Majumder said.
“And also, why hold it on National Unity Day? Migrants also enjoy this holiday and like to go out – but it’ll be dangerous,” Majumder added.
Public groups in Moscow previously asked for the event to be banned, but the Moscow authorities felt they have no grounds to take such action. The organizers have been warned that they will be held responsible for any violations of the law.
Seven public organizations have signed the letter. The signatories feel that the Russian March, and the ideology its organizers promote could exacerbate inter-ethnic tensions.
The rally's far-right organizers view it as an opportunity to promote what they see as Slavic Russian identity and as a clarion call to roll back the tide of immigration and “ethnic crime.”
