Grozny residents claim being obliged to participate in May Day rally

The festive rally held in the capital of Chechnya was attended by about 100,000 people instead of the planned number of 20,000 people. This was reported by the City Mayor's Office. Public employees and students got instructions on compulsory participation in the rally, reported residents of Grozny.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on the eve of the festive events, law enforcers blocked traffic in the city centre. Today, traffic jams have appeared in the streets of the capital of Chechnya.

According to an official from the Grozny City Mayor's Office, apart from employees of public institutions and state-owned enterprises, students of higher education institutions and activists of public organizations and youth movements also took part in the rally.

Some local residents reported that they were forced to participate in the rally.

"We were given banners, portraits of Putin, Kadyrov, and flags of Chechnya and Russia. And we went to Alley of Glory to take part in the rally. We spent there an hour and a half, and then all people left the place," noted Ibragim, a student of a higher education institution.

"Our chiefs usually issue instructions concerning how many people should be involved in an action, and we act in accordance with the instructions," added Musa, a teacher of a specialized school.

Today, the festive events have also been held in other cities of Chechnya. According to a member of the Federation of Trade Unions of Chechnya, the number of people involved in the festivities exceeded 70,000.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.