Thousands join anti-Charlie rally in Russia
Tens of thousands of people staged a rally on Monday in Russia's Chechnya region against French magazine Charlie Hebdo's cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad, which the predominantly Muslim region's leader denounced as "vulgar and immoral".
Tens of thousands of people staged a rally on Monday in Russia's Chechnya region against French magazine Charlie Hebdo's cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad, which the predominantly Muslim region's leader denounced as "vulgar and immoral".
Carrying signs declaring "Hands off the Prophet Mohammad", men in traditional Chechen dress and women and children shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest) as they streamed down the main thoroughfare of Chechnya's capital, Grozny, rebuilt after two separatist wars in the North Caucasus region.
"We will launch a decisive protest against the vulgarity, immorality, lack of culture and shamelessness of those who drew the caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him)," Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov wrote online before the rally. "We publicly warn that we will not tolerate similar actions," he said. Kadyrov said he expected up to 1 million people to attend the rally.
Mass rallies organised in the region have been used to show Kadyrov's allegiance to Moscow. Around 100,000 were estimated to have marched in Grozny at a rally organised for the birthday of President Vladimir Putin last year. Some participants in other rallies have criticised Chechen authorities, saying they were forced to attend.