Some ten thousand people marched through Moscow on Sunday, in protest at the recent mass arrests of demonstrators critical of the government. The march had started out as an initiative of well-known authors, who said they wanted to test whether it was "possible as a resident of Moscow to walk the streets without repression."
The turnout - at several thousands of people - was unexpected, the news agency Interfax reported. Accompanied by police, the march was reportedly peaceful, with no banners or chanted slogans. Families, including children and elderly relatives, joined the writers.
"We're defending our freedom of assembly," said Andrey Makarevich, a musician. The marchers walked towards a camp set up by anti-government demonstrators. That camp was set up a week ago to protest against the inauguration of President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. Over the past few days hundreds of people have been arrested at protests which have turned violent.