Moscow Rallies Against Terror Attacks

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun

MOSCOW – Tens of thousands of people answered a government call and rallied outside the Kremlin yesterday in a show of solidarity against terrorism, nearly a week after militants seized a school in southern Russia in a standoff that claimed more than 350 lives, many of them children.


Mourners in the grief-stricken city of Beslan lowered caskets into the damp earth in a third day of burials from the siege, which officials have blamed on Chechens and other Islamic terrorists.


The Moscow crowd of about 130,000 people – some bearing banners saying, “We won’t give Russia to terrorists” and “The enemy will be crushed; victory will be ours” – observed a moment of silence at 5 p.m. on the cobblestones near St. Basil’s Cathedral, adjacent to the Kremlin.


The hour-long demonstration, which was organized by a pro-government trade union, echoed President Putin’s call for unity in vast, multiethnic Russia and sought to rally its people against enemies he says have aid from abroad.


“I have been crying for so many days and I came here to feel that we are actually together,” said Vera Danilina.


Although some in Beslan have criticized Mr. Putin for not meeting with survivors of the tragedy, the president has avoided the brunt of the anger over the attacks.


“Of course I support him, and it’s necessary to be even more harsh with terrorists,” said Galina Kiselyova, a history teacher who was at the Moscow rally. “We cannot let go of Chechnya – the Caucasus is ours.”


The demonstration was heavily advertised on state-controlled television, with prominent actors appealing to citizens to turn out. Banners bore the white, blue, and red of Russia’s flag, and speakers echoed Mr. Putin’s statements that terrorists must be crushed.


“We came here to show that we are not indifferent to the series of terrorist acts that have taken place,” said Alexander, a student at a Moscow technical college who did not give his surname.


However, the 18-year-old criticized Russian authorities’ handling of the hostage crisis, and noted the rally was organized by authorities who “told us where and when to come.” Terrorists seized the school in Beslan on September 1, a day after a suicide bombing in Moscow killed 10 people and just over a week after two Russian passenger planes crashed following explosions and killed all 90 people aboard – attacks authorities suspect were linked to the war in Chechnya.


Russian prosecutors yesterday said authorities had arrested two people suspected in the plane bombings. The suspects were not identified. The Interfax news agency cited an unnamed source as saying one of the men is suspected of selling plane tickets to two Chechen woman believed to have carried out the August 24 bombings.


The man, originally from southern Russia’s Krasnodar region, made money by illegally selling tickets at Moscow’s Domodedovo airport, Interfax said. Both planes that crashed took off from that airport.


In footage broadcast yesterday on NTV television, hundreds of hostages were shown seated in the school’s cramped gym. Many of them had their hands behind their heads. A thick streak of blood stained the wood floor.


Football-sized bundles of explosives were attached to wires and strings hanging from the two basketball hoops. One attacker in camouflage stood amid the hostages with a boot on what NTV said was a book rigged with a detonator.


Meanwhile, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld denounced the Chechen attack on a Russian school in which more than 350 people were killed as part of a global struggle with extremists.


“There really are no free passes in this struggle, this war,” Mr. Rumsfeld said yesterday.


The New York Sun

© 2024 The New York Sun Company, LLC. All rights reserved.

Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The material on this site is protected by copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used.

The New York Sun

Sign in or  Create a free account

or
By continuing you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use