According to ITAR-TASS, 30 New Year’s Eve marchers were detained by police during an opposition rally (or 60 according to the Other Russia), among them veteran 82-year old rights activist Lyudmila Alexeyeva, dressed as Snegurochka, Father Frost’s female assistant.  The unsanctioned rally was in protest against the government’s flouting of the 31st article of the Russian Constitution guaranteeing freedom of assembly.  The protesters were labeled ‘Bad Santa’ by the pro-Kremlin youth organization Young Russia, whose own rally was used by the town hall as a pretext for not allowing any others to take place.  The harsh treatment of the activists has prompted criticism from EU parliament president Jerzy Buzek, who described the police response as ‘totally disproportionate’.