WORLD : Unofficial Soviet Parades Barred
The Soviet government decreed today that all counterdemonstrations rivaling official parades on the anniversary of the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution be called off, Tass news agency said.
The Nov. 7 celebrations have become a test of power for President Mikhail S. Gorbachev, who ordered two weeks ago that military parades proceed despite opposition from radicals. Several groups have since called protest rallies for the day.
The ruling, signed by Parliament Speaker Anatoly Lukyanov, did not explicitly outlaw rival demonstrations to the official Communist parade and military march held in Moscow’s Red Square every year. It recommended that they be held after the two-day public holiday.
But the ruling could give police powers to stop other gatherings and will certainly infuriate radical groups opposed to the annual display of power by Communist Party and military leaders.
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