Traditional May Day processions to be held in Moscow

 Political parties and NGOs will traditionally hold May Day processions in Moscow districts. The largest action, staged by the Federation of Independent Trade Unions (FITU) will be held in the heart of the Russian capital: for the first time since 1991 the trade unions will march on the Red Square.

The column of demonstrators will march from the place of execution in the Red square to the State History Museum carrying slogans “Unity! Solidarity! Rights of Working People!”, “Decent Work — Fair Pay!” Chairperson of the “unions” party Labor Union, FITU Secretary Alexander Shershukov said that the party members would carry antifascist slogans at the May Day procession. “In addition to socio-economic slogans, we also regard this year’s May Day demonstration as an antifascist event,” he said.FITU estimates the possible number of participants in the demonstration for workers’ rights at up to 100,000 people. Members of the United Russia party are expected to join the trade unions. Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin will also take part in the procession.

Members of the procession from the A Just Russia party will also call for ‘decent wages for decent work’. This column will march from Trubnaya Square along the Boulevard Ring Street to Pushkin Square, where a public meeting will take place.

Members of A Just Russia will call for the introduction of the progressive taxation system and for submitting “the tariffs under people’s control.” The demonstrators will demand the release of political prisoners in Ukraine, as well as will pay their respects to the residents of Crimea. The action participants, led by Sergei Mironov and Nikolai Levichev intend to urge the political rivals to hold fair elections to the Moscow City Duma.

Pushkin Square will also become a venue for a political meeting of the LDPR (Liberal Democratic) party in honor of Spring and Labor Day. The organizers have promised to invite all comers to a dinner from a mobile kitchen trailer.

The communists intend to gather for the May Day demonstration several tens of thousands people. First vice speaker of the State Duma Ivan Melnikov, who is deputy head of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (KPRF), said that the demonstration participants would march under the traditional communist slogans of struggle for the workers’ rights and solidarity. “I would not hide that in one of the slogans we will raise the issue of the government’s poor work and resignation of the government,” Melnikov added.

The KPRF procession route is from Oktyabrskaya Square to the Karl Marx Monument where a meeting will take place.

Meanwhile, three actions of nationalists are planned outside the boundaries of the Garden Rind Street. They will march from Pererva Street to the Fatherland Defender Monument in Lyublino district and then hold a meeting. In addition, a meeting is planned in the “guide park” square in the Gorky Park, as well as a meeting and procession in Moscow’s Northwest District in Shchukino.