Police in Moscow on Saturday arrested more than 200 suspected rightwing extremists demonstrating against immigration by non-Russians.

Despite the arrests, around 2,000 people gathered for a demonstration lead in the Russian capital called by ultranationalist parties in honour of Russia’s newly created Day of National Unity.

Thousands of police supported by helicopters were deployed to prevent the gathering of rightwing extremists.

Authorities banned the planned ’Russian march’ because demonstrators at this event last year had given the Nazi salute.

In the Siberian city of Novosibirsk, around 200 extremists marched through main streets, chanting ’chauvinist slogans.’ Ten organizers of that march were arrested.

Rightwing extremist demonstrations were held in the city of Irkutsk, Blagoveshchenk and Vladivostok. Police in St Petersburg prevented demonstrations in that city.

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