YEREVAN, MAY 4, NOYAN TAPAN. The May 1 march and rally organized by the Communist Party of Armenia proceeded without incidents. Though, as party Central Committee First Secretary Ruben Tovmasian said in his speech near the monument to Stepan Shahumian, till the last moment the authorities tried to hinder the holding of Communist Party's May 1 actions, nevertheless ordinary communists and even activists from remote regions came to the rally in an organized way. Speaking about the meaning of May 1, R. Tovmasian emphasized that Workers' Day was solemnly marked in the Soviet Union and in Soviet Armenia. In his words, under USSR the state really appreciated work and worker, while at present, when May 1 is again considered a state holiday, the authorities do not celebrate it. R. Tovmasian added that the communists will be only glad if not the Communist Party of Armenia but state officials organize the May 1 march and if they walk ahead of the people.

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