On May 1 all Russia celebrates Labor day, marches and demonstrations took place across all nation. But despite the date some officials are trying to prevent citizens from expressing their opinion.

Today it became known that mayor's office in Kirov prohibited march against workplace discrimination of Russian citizens on May 1 in Kirov.
Group of citizens several times applied notification about the march to city administration, but  each time it was rejected on some formal grounds – either the place was “took”, or the route was “wrong”.

In its last rejection mayor’s office reached complete absurd in its violations.

“City administration examined your notification about public action on May 1 2009 with the goal of raising awareness of problems of workplace discrimination with 40 participants, and consider it impossible, because there is real threat to safety of event participants. City administration received information, that your event is indentified by some particular citizens as march of people with nontraditional sexual orientation. From letters of citizens and nongovernmental organizations we can drive the conclusion that probability of attempts to sabotage this event from aggressive citizen groups can lead to mass riots”, - was said in administration’s answer.
Officials of administration referred to announcement that was placed on the website of xenophobic organization DPNI in Kirov. It was addressed to administration of Kirov with request to refuse the agreement to this public event in order to ensure public safety.
It seems that this letter was significant to officials, because the refusal was made with reference to it.
But its hard to understand why the letter of February 24 2009 is relevant to march on May1 2009, if notification of event can be applied only 15 days prior to event, means April 15.
One can assume that xenophobic leaders of DPNI have some occult prophetic powers along with their predecessors from national socialist party in Germany from 1936 to 1945. It would explain a lot, but doesn’t’t seem possible.

More possible is that Kirov officials made an agreement with DPNI, because xenophobes’ march was approved. More than that, it became known that Kirov administration tries to provoke “public offence” and mass riots by sending this refusal to mass media, and also nationalist and religious organizations and groups. What can be their motive? For example, it can be discrediting governor, Nikita Belyh, through “riots” on the threshold of visit of president Dmitry Medvedev in the city.  
It also noteworthy that such refusal can be applied to almost any public event of any organization or citizen group – it can be rejected just by claiming that there is “information, that your event is indentified by some particular citizens as march of people with nontraditional sexual orientation”, without pointing out who are these “citizens” at all.
Most cynical part of city officials’ decision is that refusal concerns the essence of May 1 – the goal of this date. Even more outrageous is the fact that country trying to survive meltdown, people losing their jobs, frequently due to discrimination, and gay people suffer from such discrimination no less than anybody else.
According to march organizers they would appeal against this refusal in court as violation of constitutional rights of citizens. On current moment court statement was submitted to district court.

It is really sad that city officials of Kirov prefer to listen to xenophobes, than to their governor Nikita Belyh, who said he has nothing against public events of LGBT – lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people.

March organizers claimed that if authorities do not follow their obligations, the march will took form of flash mob on May 1 2009 in any place, at any time in Kirov.
Organizers underline that their event has no relations with so called “gay parade” and all parallels with it will be inappropriate.