FEBRUARY 23: RADICAL ANTI-WAR RALLY AT THE PUSHKIN SQUARE PREVIOUSLY SCHEDULED FOR 6 P.M. WILL BEGIN AN HOUR LATER - AT 7 P.M.

ADMINISTRATION OF THE RADIO STATION "EKHO MOSKVY" AT THE LAST MOMENT REFUSED THE RADICAL PARTY TO PLACE PAID ADVERTISEMENT ABOUT THE FORTHCOMING MANIFESTATION

THREATS OF "PHYSICAL LIQUIDATION" ADDRESSED TO THE RADICALS.

21/02/2001

In the course of yesterday's and today's consultations of organizers of the anti-war rally of February 23 with the head of the Tverskoy district council Alexandr Litoshin and the head of the public order militia, it was decided to postpone the beginning of the rally for 7 p.m. The reason is that Moscow government irrespective of the Tverskoy district council accepted from a number of communist organizations a notification of the rally with five thousand participants, at the same place, from 4 p.m to 6.30 p.m. This day, beginning from 5 p.m., there will be pickets of radicals near the metro stations "Pushkinskaya", "Tverskaya" and "Chekhovskaya". They will inform the people who go to the Pushkin square about the postponement of the anti-war rally. The place remains the same: the public garden near the restaurant "McDonalds", across the street, opposite Pushkin monument.

Meanwhile, the radicals come across counteractions when preparing the rally. Today in the afternoon, the administration of the radio station "Ekho Moskvy" inexpectedly refused to broadcast previously ordered, paid and prepared advertisement about the forthcoming rally. The representatives of the Radical Party were told that according to the collegiate decision of the editorial council, political advertisement of such contents can't be broadcasted by the "Ekho Moskvy" because "the radio station isn't conducting now the campaign against the Chechen war".

The radicals also received direct threats. February 19, at the Antimilitarist forum of the website of the Antimilitarist Radical Association (ARA) www.ara.ru, the following message was placed: "a physical liquidation of the leaders of the ARA is being prepared, as well as the explosion of its office in Sretenka, it is serious, be ready, we declare war against you". The message is signed by some "foundation for national security".