More than 40 demonstrators were detained, Vladimir Soloveichik, the deputy secretary of the Executive Committee of the Russian Communist Party and a participant in the rally, told Interfax. "Policemen argued that the authorities banned the rally at the last moment. I, as one of the organizers, did not receive any notification," he said.
Soloveichik also said that many of those detained were beaten, including Vladimir Leonov, Deputy of the Leningrad regional legislature, and Mikhail Druzhinsky, leader of St. Petersburg's anti- globalists.
The police confirmed that several demonstrators were detained, adding that they "behaved aggressively and circulated obscene leaflets."
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