Moscow riot police forcibly ended an ultranationalist demonstration Saturday, arresting hundreds of people who took to the city's streets chanting nationalist slogans and carrying flags.

Some of the protesters complained about illegal immigration, while others blatantly promoted anti-Semitism, said CTV's Moscow Bureau Chief Ellen Pinchuk.

Their message had one common theme: Russia belongs to Russians.

"The Russian people, who created this state, need to feel that we are the bosses in this land," one demonstrator told Pinchuk.

Saturday's turnout was in the hundreds, far short of the thousands promised by organizers ahead of the demonstration.

The banned demonstration comes amid an increase in violent hate crimes in Russia. Skinhead beatings and even the murders of people with dark skin, Jews and immigrants have been on the rise in Russia. This year, 39 people have been killed in what appear to be hate crimes, and more than 300 have been attacked, according to the Sova rights centre, a group that monitors xenophobia.

Russian security forces have taken criticism for not doing enough to halt the rise in hate crimes and anti-foreigner demonstrations, but Saturday's action may indicate their patience is running out. It was just one year ago that security forces failed to stop demonstrators who gave the Nazi salute and cried "Heil Hitler," as they marched on the national holiday.

Human rights activist Tanya Lokshina said the authorities are actually partly to blame for rising Russian xenophobia.

"For a long time, the authorities were actually dallying in nationalist and xenophobic attitudes, trying to make themselves popular in that way, and now this has gotten very much out of control and they cannot handle the situation," Lokshina said.

Meanwhile, in another part of Moscow, an anti-fascist demonstration united those who are troubled by the attacks and increasingly violent rhetoric.

"They say they want the greatness of the Russian nation over others, that they feel like second class citizens, but patriotism can't come out of an inferiority complex," said Nikita Belykh, a Russian MP.

Pinchuk said the Russian holiday created two years ago to celebrate national unity has revealed how deep the divisions are between far-right activists and anti-fascists actually.

In St. Petersburg, the Russian capital, similar demonstrations brought the two groups into close contact and a scuffle broke out. Police moved in and detained dozens of ultra-nationalists and anti-fascists for taking part in that rally, which was also banned, according to Interfax.

With a report from CTV's Moscow Bureau Chief Ellen Pinchuk and files from The Associated Press