OPPONENTS OF CHURCH CONSTRUCTION IN CENTER OF
EKATERINBURG CONDUCT
PROTEST FOR THIRD EVENING IN A ROW
Interfax-Religiia,
15 May 2019
Another unsanctioned demonstration of protest against
the construction
of a church in the center of Ekaterinburg is being conducted on
Wednesday
evening, a correspondent of the Interfax-Ural news agency
reports from the
scene of the action.
A permanent fence is being erected on the site of the
future
construction of the church, in place of a metal fence that
protesters in the demonstrations
on Monday and Tuesday threw to the ground, and several fragments
were hurled
into a pond.
Demonstration participants are behaving calmly. On the
site police are
patrolling and there are vehicles of the patrol service and OMON
[riot police].
Several demonstration participants are trying to conduct
a dialogue
with police personnel and others are singing songs, dancing, and
drinking tea.
Somebody is walking dogs.
Meanwhile the sidewalk slabs have begun to be removed
and a
"passport of the object" has appeared where the period of
construction of the church is indicated: from May of this year
to June of 2023.
As reported, the decision to build a cathedral of Saint
Catherine on
October Square of Ekaterinburg, where there now is a square, was
made in
September 2018. Some residents of the city spoke out against
this. An action
group submitted to the electoral commission an application for
conducting a
referendum regarding construction of the church, but it was
refused.
On 13 May, a fence appeared in the square, enclosing the
site of future
construction. On the same day, residents of Ekaterinburg
gathered for the first
demonstration of protest, which began in the evening and lasted
until morning.
On 14 May, a second unsanctioned demonstration against
construction of
the church was held on October Square. The site was patrolled by
personnel of
the police, the Russian Guard, and OMON. Twenty-six persons were
arrested and
three injured persons were hospitalized. (tr. by PDS, posted 15
May 2019)
KREMLIN DISAPPROVES VIOLATION OF LAW IN SITUATION AROUND
CONSTRUCTION
OF CHURCH IN EKATERINBURG
Interfax-Religiia,
15 May 2019
The Kremlin declared impermissible violation of the law
in the course
of protest demonstrations in connection with the construction of
a church in
the center of Ekaterinburg.
"Unsanctioned gatherings, let alone demonstrations,
which go
contrary to existing laws cannot be approved," said the press
secretary of
the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov, on Wednesday in reply to a
request of
journalists to comment on the situation around the construction
of a church in
the center of Ekaterinburg.
"Of course, this is what makes certain actions of law
enforcement
agencies necessary," the president's press secretary added.
To the question whether the Kremlin intends to intervene
in this
conflict between residents and the church builders, the press
secretary of the
head of state answered: "On the whole, such situations are the
prerogative
of local authorities, and we see that they are working."
As Peskov noted, "local authorities are quite correctly
conducting
a conversation with the population and with the builders." He
said,
"local authorities offered alternative sites for building parks
and
organizing recreation and services for citizens and residents of
this
district."
"That is, we consider that local authorities are trying
to work
things out. On the other hand, it seems that this work must
continue," the
representative of the Kremlin emphasized.
In September 2018, members of the architectural city
planning council
of Ekaterinburg voted to build a cathedral of the Great Martyr
Saint Catherine
on October Square, where there now is a park. Some residents of
the city spoke
out against this. An action group submitted an application to
the election
commission for conducting a referendum on construction of the
church, but it
was refused.
After this, when a fence enclosing the site of the
future construction
of the church appeared in the park, residents of Ekaterinburg
conducted the
first unsanctioned protest demonstration, which began on Monday
evening and
lasted to Tuesday morning. On Tuesday, a second unsanctioned
demonstration
against construction of the church was held in the park. As a
result, 26
persons were arrested. (tr. by PDS, posted 15 May 2019)
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