An annual march by the far right in several Russian cities mostly passed without incident.
Leaders of a far-right group that opposes immigration to Russia were arrested in Moscow Tuesday for attempting to hold a demonstration without a permit, according to the Interfax news agency.
Some 500 members of the Slavic Union and the Movement Against Illegal Immigration were arrested. The leader of the Slavic Union, Dmitry Demushkin, faces charges for the illegal march. Other leaders of the groups were released.
Police in St. Petersburg allowed a march to proceed unobstructed.
In the far east city of Vladivostok, local officials warned that they would not allow neo-Nazis to participate in the event. Marchers wore masks to conceal their identities, and the demonstration of 200 marchers passed without incident, according to a report on the Jewish.ru Web site.
In Novosibirsk, a group of neo-Nazis scuffled with a group of anti-fascist demonstrators, but police quelled the disturbance before it escalated.
