On August 24, a rally organized by oppositionist Armen Babajanyan and the "Mother Armenia" bloc took place in front of the 102nd Russian military base in Gyumri. During the rally, activists carried flags of the USSR and other banners, denounced Russia as fascist, and demanded the withdrawal of the base from Armenia. Since the morning of August 23, Armenian patriotic songs could be heard at the gates of the base, while some demonstrators directed offensive gestures at Russian servicemen to express their sentiments toward Russia.