A wave of police raids searching through the homes of opposition figures has been taking place in about 10 different locations in Moscow. Police say they are investigating acts of violence that took place on the eve of President Putin’s inauguration on May 7th.
“The police are doing this not only to crack down ahead of Tuesday’s demo, but also to “calm” opponents and discourage them from taking action by searching them and their homes. We don’t know what will happen subsequently,” said lawyer Vadim Prokhorov.
The raids are just the latest example of how the authorities are cracking down on protest. Last week a bill massively increasing fines for those found guilty of illegal demonstrations or accused of violence during them came into law, and leaders due to lead tomorrow’s march now have to report in to police stations, lessening their effectiveness.