MOSCOW — Several thousand people rallied on Sunday in Moscow to protest ethnic clashes that have rocked Russia in the past weeks.
Protesters on held posters reading "Fascists disgrace Russia" and chanted "No to Fascism."
The rally in downtown Moscow was organized by civil groups in a reaction to rioting on Dec. 11 when thousands of nationalists and football fans poured into the streets chanting "Russia for Russians."
They clashed with police and beat members of ethnic groups from the Caucasus region. The violence just outside the Kremlin raised doubts about the government's ability to stem a rising tide of xenophobia.
Police prevented more clashes in the following days in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
