Thousands Rally In Russia's Komi Republic Against New Landfill

6/3/19
SYKTYVKAR, Russia -- Some 7,000 demonstrators have rallied in Russia's northwestern Komi Republic against the construction of a new landfill in the neighboring Arkhangelsk region. The demonstrators gathered in Michurin Park in the Komi capital, Syktyvkar, on June 2, protesting what they called Moscow’s "colonial politics" and the ongoing construction of the garbage dump in the town of Shiyes, near Arkhangelsk. Local authorities in Arkhangelsk have said that some 10.5 million tons of garbage are to be transferred to the landfill from Moscow in the next 20 years. An activist from the Arkhangelsk region, Svetlana Babenko, attended the rallies in Syktyvkar, where she said that protesters in Shiyes are being persecuted and several people were hospitalized after they were beaten by police. Babenko said many protesters face administrative fines and three protesters face criminal charges.

The demonstrators adopted a resolution calling for a referendum in the Komi Republic on banning the transfer of garbage from Russia's other regions and stop the construction of the Shiyes landfill. The construction of the new landfill near Arkhangelsk started in July, and protests began a month later. Similar rallies have been held in recent months in other Russian cities and towns. Nationwide rallies against landfills took place in 30 regions across Russia on February 3.

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6/4/19
Opponents of a controversial landfill in northwest Russia clashed with riot police in the latest violent episode of ongoing protests against plans to take in garbage from Moscow. Protests against the $162 million landfill in Shiyes, Arkhangelsk region have become a symbol of Russia’s growing trend of issues-based local activism. Almost a year of demonstrations in the abandoned village and in nearby cities has led to reports that Moscow would halt activities at the construction site in mid-June. Around 50 activists formed a human shield on Tuesday to prevent construction workers from reinstalling a fence around the construction site, footage shared by the 7x7 news website shows. Approximately the same number of riot police huddled together to push back the activists as onlookers yelled “Shame!”

At least seven activists have been detained, the OVD-Info police-monitoring website reported. The altercation ended without injuries after workers were allowed to continue erecting the fence, according to the outlet. The violence follows a week of clashes, hospitalizations, detentions and fines in the abandoned village of Shiyes. On Sunday, thousands of residents of Syktyvkar, a city in the Russian republic of Komi, rallied against the Shiyes landfill 250 kilometers to its east.

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Rogue Valley said:

Violence Erupts Between Protesters, Riot Police at Russian Landfill Site


Russian riot police at the new landfill site at Shiyes, Arkhangelsk region.



I sympathize with the protesters. For them this is basically a fight for their life as they know it.

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