MOSCOW, February 21 (RIA Novosti) - Russian movement Solidarity, founded in December 2008 to unite scattered opposition forces, held its first rally in central Moscow on Saturday.
Several hundred people took part in the rally sanctioned by City Hall. The protestors, in particular, blamed Prime Minister Vladimir Putin for the inability to overcome the economic crisis.
Ex-Russian premier Mikhail Kasyanov, the leader of Russia's People's Democratic Union, and Kremlin critic, ex-chess champion Garry Kasparov, addressed the crowd.
Kasparov's website reported that Kasyanov demanded political freedoms and early elections from the authorities, while Kasparov himself was quoted as saying: "Each rally is a crack in the monolith of authority, which fears truth just like vampires fear sunlight."
Police said there were no serious incidents during the rally.
