Protesters arrested outside Russian parliament

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Moscow: Several people have been arrested during an impromptu rally outside the Russian parliament to protest a controversial plan to tear down Soviet-era low-rise apartment blocks.

About 300 people showed up at the State Duma today morning ahead of the second reading of a bill that would allow Moscow City Hall to relocate 1.6 million people and pull down entire neighbourhoods of Soviet-era buildings in arguably Russia's largest redevelopment project.

City Hall has insisted that the buildings are too dilapidated, but many residents see the plans as an encroachment on their constitutional rights and do not want to move elsewhere.

If the bill passes in the second reading on Thursday, the parliament will then only be able to adopt it or reject it, but not amend it.