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Far-right activists in Mahilyow call off march after police ban use of “unregistered” flag

Saturday’s authorized march by far-right activists was cancelled in Mahilyow after police banned the crowd from displaying “unregistered” flags, BelaPAN reports.

Called Slavic March and sanctioned by the city authorities, the event was to be held on the occasion of 630 year since the Battle of Kulikovo, in which combined Russian armies defeated a Tatar force, and was meant to promote the “unity of Slavic peoples” and protest growing Western influence.

Some 20 young men gathered at the assembly venue but were banned by police from marching after they displayed the Russian Empire’s 19th-century national flag, a tricolor that is widely used by far-right groups in Russia.

A police officer warned that if the crowd continued displaying what he described as an “unregistered symbol,” the organizer of the event would be charged with a minor civil offense.

Dzmitry Dzenisenka (picture 1), the demonstration’s organizer, called off the event after an hour’s discussions with the police.

While speaking to reporters after the cancellation of the demonstration, Mr. Dzenisenka said that he had previously informed the city authorities that the flag would be displayed at the demonstration and no objections had been raised. “I made the decision to stop the event as the demonstration makes no sense without the key symbol that was mentioned in the application,” he noted.

The crowd dispersed after Mr. Dzenisenka said that the demonstration would take place when he had the flag registered with the authorities.