Moscow officials finally explain why they didn't disperse Muslim protesters last September: it's because they never applied for a demonstration permit 🤨

Last September, hundreds of Muslim men in Moscow assembled unexpected outside the Myanmar embassy to protest against the persecution of that country’s Muslim minority, following public criticism by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.

The demonstrators had no permit and they blocked traffic on Bolshaya Nikitskaya Street, a downtown thoroughfare, but police officers just stood around and arrested no one. Protesters chanted “Allahu akbar!” and “Buddhists are terrorists!”

Politician Alexey Navalny, who’s raised some liberals’ eyebrows in the past because of his views on Russian ethnic nationalism, filed a formal inquiry with the Mayor’s Office, asking why this rally wasn’t dispersed, like so many of his anti-corruption protests.

This week, Navalny published the city’s response. According to the District Attorney, police weren’t required to ensure public safety because the demonstrators never applied for a demonstration permit. In other words, by not even asking for the city’s permission, the protesters apparently evaded police intervention. The District Attorney’s Office also claims that the demonstration didn’t violate the public order (ignoring the fact that protesters blocked traffic, which is the typical excuse city officials give, when denying downtown sites for opposition rallies).