Anniversary of Lenin's death sparks protest

MOSCOW, Jan. 21 (UPI) -- Moscow police detained several dozen young people dressed as mummies Wednesday after they attempted to hold a protest in Red Square, a police spokesman said.

The detainees were part of a larger group wrapped from head to toe in white bandages to mark the 85th anniversary of the death of communist leader Vladimir Lenin, the Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported.

The display of Lenin's body under glass in a mausoleum in Red Square has been an ongoing source of controversy since the break up of the Soviet Union in 1991.

A spokesman for the mummy protesters identified the group as Orthodox monarchists and said police detained them on grounds that their rally had not been sanctioned by authorities.

The group previously held a demonstration in support of burying Lenin near the graves of his mother and sisters in St. Petersburg.

RIA Novosti says an opinion poll shows two thirds of Russians believe the architect of the Russian Revolution should be removed from Red Square and properly buried.