Penza, 22 September 2018. PenzaNews. A mass rally was held in the F.E. Dzerzhinsky public garden in Penza on September 22 in the framework of the all-Russian protest campaign organized by the Communist Party for cancellation of the pension reform.

Photo: Kprf.ru

Security measures were strengthened before the rally. The police placed a metal fence around the square and organized examination of the participants.

According to the estimation of the Penza regional committee of the Communist Party, the protest brought together about 1,000 people.

Some of them were holding posters with the slogans "United Russia, hands off our pensions!", "We demand a referendum on the issue of retirement age increase!", "We do not want to die at work!", "We want to retire but not to die earlier!" and others.

The rally was opened by first secretary of the Penza regional committee of the Communist Party Yuliana Kotova, who dwelled on the results of the elections held in different regions of the country on September 9.

"Do you know what has happened there? United Russia has miserably failed the elections. The Communist Party won over United Russia at the elections to legislative assemblies in three regions. For the first time in 12 years, four gubernatorial candidates from United Russia failed to win in the first round," she said and drew attention to the situation in Primorsky Krai, where the results of early elections of the governor were recognized void after the second round.

Turning to those present, coordinator of Left Front in the Volga Federal District Sergei Padalkin reminded of the campaign during which a 10-metre banner with the inscription "United Russia, damn you for retirement age increase!" had been hanging at the fence of an overpass in Penza for almost three hours.

"Today we are here with a similar banner, which is smaller," the opposition activist noted.

He added that activists had also brought portraits of Penza members of the United Russia party to the protest – previously such tables could have been seen during the campaign Shameful Regiment in Penza.

At the meeting the floor was also given to representatives of other political forces, which criticized the upcoming changes.

At the end of the rally, leader of Penza communists, deputy of the regional Legislative Assembly, presidium member of the Central Committee of CPRF Georgy Kamnev turned to the participants.

"I want to tell you that yesterday another meeting of the Legislative Assembly of the Penza region was held. The law on the pension reform was supported there again, and this was done by the United Russia forces. Despite the fact that United Russia members declare they are willing to look boldly in the eyes of their people, we cannot see any of them here after the voting yesterday," he said.

At the end of the event, a resolution was adopted, one of the requirements of which applied to complete abolition of the launched pension reform.