Unsanctioned rally participants held in Maroseika street; road closed to traffic
MOSCOW. Aug 10 (Interfax) - Police have arrested the most active participants in an unsanctioned rally in Maroseika Street in central Moscow on Saturday evening.
By 6 p.m. the street had been fully closed to traffic. Police are urging the people to leave, reminding them that the event was not sanctioned, an Interfax correspondent reported. Two police vans have already left with those arrested.
Later traffic towards the Garden Ring resumed. The police managed to remove demonstrators from the road, many have been detained.
Meanwhile, other protestors have moved onto the sidewalk and are strolling towards the Garden Ring and back. The police blocked passage in Maroseika towards the city center and are conducting random ID checks and bag inspections in the street.
Meanwhile, the two police vans have stopped outside number nine in Maroseika street.
Earlier police used force while trying to arrest demonstrators in Kitai Gorod who offered them resistance. The police had warned demonstrators that their event was not sanctioned.
Moscow authorities and police have repeatedly warned participants against continuing to rally in the streets of Moscow. In particular, the police officially warned that, "such calls and participation at such events entail responsibility in accordance with the law."