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Police allow Dissenters' march in St. Petersburg

Russia's most vocal opposition movement, headed by former chess champion Garry Kasparov, held a march and rally in a major city without police violence or interference for the first time on Saturday.

The march took place as foreign executives attended a forum in another part of St. Petersburg, raising speculation that police held off to avoid embarrassment as Russian leaders seek to speed the flow of investment dollars into the thriving economy.

Under a heavy police presence, Kasparov and fellow Kremlin foe Eduard Limonov led hundreds of protesters along an approved route to a site where they held a rally. Protesters chanted "Russia without Putin!" and "No police state!" as police shouted through bullhorns for them to stay on the sidewalks.

The protest was the latest in a series of "Dissenters' Marches" organized by Kasparov and a loose coalition of opposition groups that accuse Russian President Vladimir Putin of strangling democracy before next year's presidential polls.

"The president ... got rid of elections, and brought in his circle from the old KGB. That's not democracy," said demonstrator Irina Berman, a pensioner.

Putin, a longtime KGB officer, initiated laws that scrapped elections of regional leaders as well and direct elections of lawmakers in parliament.

Police have violently dispersed several of the previous Dissenters' Marches, beaten demonstrators and bystanders with truncheons and detained dozens of people.

In contrast, St. Petersburg authorities gave permission for both a march and demonstration. In apparent attempts to keep protesters out of the spotlight, however, they approved a route that did not include main roads and limited the size of the march.

More than 100 riot police stood by during the demonstration, which drew 1,500 people.

"It's not just a march, it's not just a meeting -- it's a victory," Kasparov told the crowd, adding, "The whole country is unsatisfied."

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