Boris Kuznetsov, who is representing the interests of Rodina (Motherland), said: "I have just filed a more than 30-page appeal against the [Moscow] city court's decision."
The Moscow City Court ruled to remove Rodina from the Moscow Duma election list on November 26, thereby upholding a lawsuit filed by the ultra-nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR). Although the LDPR is not itself known for being overly tolerant, the party, led by the colorful Vladimir Zhironovsky, accused Rodina of inciting inter-ethnic tension in an television advert in the run-up to the December 4 vote. The broadcast featured three dark-skinned men from the Caucasus tossing a watermelon rind at the feet of a passing Slavic girl with a baby. The final slogan against the background of the Rodina emblem urged people to "remove the rubbish from Moscow."
Rodina leader Dmitry Rogozin said his party would remain a lawful participant in the election campaign until the Supreme Court had considered its appeal and issued a ruling, which must happen within five days after the appeal has been filed.
Members of Rodina's youth wing, For the Motherland!, threatened to take to streets if the court decision was not quashed. In addition, leader Sergei Shargunov said the organization was intending to invite at least 100 observers from the Commonwealth of Independent States with previous experience of working under the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe, a prominent rights group that has worked throughout the former Soviet Union, to monitor the elections.
