Opposition leader Kasparov vow to hold march despite official ban

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• published: 21 Jul 2015
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1. Wide exterior shot of House of Journalists 2. Garry Kasparov arriving at news conference room and shaking hands with allies 3. Wide shot of journalists at conference 4. SOUNDBITE: (Russian) Garry Kasparov, United Civil Front: "I assume that we will find inside the coalition a formula that will enable us to effectively stand against pressure from the Kremlin. We understand that our actions will be followed by strong opposition from the Kremlin and that is why most of our steps should be foreseen taking in consideration the harsh counter stand." 5. Journalist 6. Pan from journalists to Kasparov speaking 7. SOUNDBITE: (English) Garry Kasparov, United Civil Front: "We see that Moscow officials and the Federal authorities they are not even trying to cover-up their illegal actions by some sort of quasi-legal reasons. And we believe that if we, here in Moscow, fail to enforce those rights and we fail to protect them, then there is no hope for tens of thousands of our activists across the country all being under severe pressure and harassed by FSB (Federal Security Service) and other law enforcement offices, on the basis of political extremism and even worse attempts to overthrow constitutional order." 8. Journalists and cameras STORYLINE Garry Kasparov, a Russian opposition leader, vowed on Thursday to proceed with a planned rally in central Moscow this weekend, despite orders to hold it in another area. "We understand that our actions will be followed by strong opposition from the Kremlin and that is why most of our steps should be foreseen taking in consideration the harsh counter stand," Kasparov told journalists during a news conference. Kasparov, a former world chess champion, is a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin's government and has accused the Kremlin of trying to stifle dissent. Kasparov's United Civil Front, an array of leftist and liberal activists opposed to the Kremlin, plans to stage the next so-called Dissenters March in Moscow on Saturday and hold another one in St Petersburg on Sunday. Police violently dispersed a similar march in St Petersburg that drew several thousand people on March 5, detaining scores of demonstrators. They also rounded up dozens of participants and journalists at a smaller gathering in Nizhny Novgorod last Saturday, beating many of them. Authorities in Moscow demanded that organisers of the Dissenters March move their planned demonstration in the capital to another venue, claiming that a pro-Kremlin youth group had been first to claim the central location - something which organisers deny. Organisers are continuing talks with officials, trying to persuade them to allow the rally in the original location. "We see that Moscow officials and the Federal authorities they are not even trying to cover-up their illegal actions by some sort of quasi-legal reasons," he said. "We believe that if we here in Moscow fail to enforce those rights and we fail to protect them, then there is no hope for tens of thousands of our activists across the country all being under severe pressure and harassed by FSB and other law enforcement offices, on the basis of political extremism and even worse attempts to overthrow constitutional order." Legislation backed by the Kremlin in recent years raised the threshold parties must clear to win parliament seats from 5 percent to 7 percent, eliminated voting for individual parliamentary candidates, and obliged political parties to re-register under new, tight rules. Several opposition parties have been shut recently by Russia's high court for failing to meet the legal minimum of 50,000 members. They warned that shutting all legal venues for protest will only fuel protests. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/d35bd900330a2fb26b03b4b7c9df4a76 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork