(Dzerzhinsk, Nizhny Novgorod region, March 3) - The public assembly dedicated to the anti-militarist initiatives conducted by ARA and Radical Party (first off all those for defending the civil rights of conscientious objectors) has taken place in the Public House of the city of Dzerzhinsk (Nizhny Novgorod region). There were more than 40 people participating in the meeting, including members and adherents of ARA, conscientious objectors, activists of local Committee of Soldiers' Mothers, Jabloko Party, including Nikolaj Khramov, secretary of ARA, and Andrej Tumanov, coordinator of ARA in Dzerzhinsk.

Just after the beginning of Nikolaj Khramov's intervention, about 10 furious pensioners headed by an extremely right-whing member of local city council, attempted to disrupt the meeting crying out "Deserters! Betrayers the Fatherland! Criminals! Servants of Yeltsin! Go back to your Brussels!" The situation developed out of control so that the participators of the reunion has been forced to continue the meeting in a neighboring room on the same floor.

Nevertheless, three new persons joined ARA for 1997 while about 20 other people declared their intention to join ARA and Radical Party within the next days, paying the respective membership fee. It was also decided to call in the next week the founding assembly of the local group of ARA "Dzerzhinsk 1". During the assembly have been distributed several dozens of the "Anti-militarist" (a newsletter of ARA), "Transnational Fax", different brochures, stickers, etc.