Dwindling Communists Mark Russian Revolution Anniversary

Russia’s aging and dwindling masses of Communists took to the streets Saturday to mark the 81st anniversary of the Russian Revolution and demand the resignation of President Boris N. Yeltsin.

About 5,000 people gathered at Lubyanka Square, site of the former headquarters of the now-defunct KGB secret police, to wave red flags and banners and recall the glory years of Soviet power.

Many protesters were elderly and poor, and their common refrain was that Yeltsin was to blame for the loss of Soviet-era stability and the country’s economic collapse. Speeches by leftist leaders were also heavily laced with anti-Semitic rhetoric--a seemingly growing trend that Yeltsin denounced on Friday.

Demonstrations were also held in more than 200 other cities and towns across Russia, as well as in several former Soviet republics.

In Ukraine, where communist sentiments have remained strong since that country gained independence in 1991, 4,000 marched through the capital, Kiev, to call for the restoration of the Soviet Union.

Throughout the country, crowds mostly fell short of organizers’ predictions. The Interior Ministry calculated that fewer than 150,000 people participated nationwide--half the number that organizers had predicted for Moscow alone.