RUSSIA: SEVERAL THOUSAND PENSIONERS GATHER IN MOSCOW TO PROTEST AGAINST MONETISATION OF BENEFITS

Record ID: 648551

  • Title: RUSSIA: SEVERAL THOUSAND PENSIONERS GATHER IN MOSCOW TO PROTEST AGAINST MONETISATION OF BENEFITS
  • Date: 22nd January 2005
  • Summary: (BN11) MOSCOW, RUSSIA (JANUARY 22, 2005) (REUTERS) 1. WIDE OF POSTER READING "PUTIN MUST RESIGN" 0.06 2. PAN: PROTESTERS HOLDING RED FLAGS AND POSTERS 0.16 3. VARIOUS OF PENSIONERS PROTESTING (3 SHOTS) 0.34 4. CU: POLICEMAN TALKING ON THE PHONE 0.41 5. PROTESTERS STANDING BEHIND THE POLICE LINE, PAN TO COMMUNIST, ADDRESSING THE CROWD 0.50 6. OLD WOMEN CHANTING "REVOLUTION" 0.56 7. CLOSE UP OF AN OLD MAN 1.02 8. CLOSE UP OF AN OLD WOMAN PAN TO OLD WOMEN CHANTING "REVOLUTION" 1.09 9. POLICEMEN 1.15 10. (SOUNDBITE)(Russian) VADIM IVANOVICH, MOSCOVITE AND KGB GENERAL, ADDRESSING RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN, SAYING: "Volodya [informal for Vladimir], colleague of mine! I have also served at the KGB [old name for the Federal Security service FSB]. You are doing the wrong thing! Whose advises are you listening to? What are you doing to the people? Come back to your senses!" 1.33 11. WIDE OF THE RALLY 1.45 12. CU: OLD WOMAN HOLDING SIGN THAT READS "HITLER+YELTSIN+PUTIN=GENOCIDE" 1.51 13. POLICEMAN IN FRONT OF THE PROTESTERS 1.57 14. MEMBERS OF THE "ASSOCIATION OF COMMUNIST YOUTH" WAVING RED FLAGS WITH THEIR FACES COVERED 2.03 15. WIDE OF THE SCUFFLES BETWEEN POLICE AND YOUNG COMMUNISTS; POLICE LEADING DETAINED YOUNG COMMUNISTS TOWARDS BUS 2.19 16. HAS: POLICEMEN TRYING TO LEAD A YOUNG COMMUNIST TO THE BUS, FALLING ON THE GROUND 2.34 17. HAS: PENSIONERS PREVENTING POLICE FROM DETAINING YOUNG MAN 2.41 18. WIDE OF THE CROWD CHANTING "SHAME" TO THE POLICE 2.48 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 6th February 2005 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: MOSCOW, RUSSIA
  • Country: Russia
  • Reuters ID: LVA7B6Z9RZBGC5E9L0SQCDG4JTCC
  • Story Text: Several thousand pensioners gather in central Moscow
    to protest against monetisation of benefits.


    Several thousand pensioners gathered in the centre
    of Moscow on Saturday (January 22) saying that the
    government should be fired for its decision to give cash
    payouts instead of social benefits, such as free travel and
    medicine.

    Demonstrators led by the Communist Party carried "Putin
    must resign" and "Hitler+Yeltsin+Putin=Genocide" placards,
    red flags and portraits of Vladimir Lenin.

    Police detained 10 members of the "Association of the
    Communist Youth" which took part in the pensioners' protest.

    Protests against replacing benefits have been the
    largest since Putin's election in 2000, and he has publicly
    rebuked the government for failing to implement the new law
    correctly.

    An opinion poll published in the Izvestia daily on
    Friday (January 21) said the crisis had reduced the number
    of people who said they would vote for Putin to 43 percent,
    from 48 percent last month.

    Also on Friday Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said the
    government took full blame for the move and that he might
    draw on a budget stabilisation fund to boost pensioner
    payouts.

    More protest rallies are expected to be held in Surgut,
    Irkutsk, Samara, Ivanovo, Nizhniy Novgorod and Ufa,
    Russian Ekho Moskvy radio reported.


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