Press release, 15.05.2017

On May 14, thousands of people participated in a rally against the plans of the City Hall to demolish about 8,000 multistory apartment buildings in Moscow and resettle 1,6 million residents. Yabloko’s representative Yelena Rusakova became a member of the organising committee of the protest action. Yabloko leaders Emilia Slabunova, Grigory Yavlinsky and Sergei Mitrokhin also came to the rally. In general, about 20,000 people participated in the protest action.

“Officials and developers, who are affiliated with them, want to dispose of our land, our property, our fates, eventually, as if it belonged to them. They decided that the city belongs to them, that all of us belong to them. But we will stay together to fight for [our rights]. They cannot deport us. It is our city!” municipal deputy Yelena Rusakova said opening the rally.

Yabloko Chair Emilia Slabunova also claims that banking lobby stands behind the plans of the Moscow government. “There is a reason why the residents call the so called “renovation” programme a deportation. It looks like a special operation on the compulsory resettling of a whole megalopolis of 1,6 people. It violates the Constitution, the rights to private property,” she noted.

“A large number of people came here, it means that they do not believe the Moscow Government. It means that the officials cannot and do not want to carry on a dialogue with people. This fraudulent law must be recalled and hold a referendum for those residents, who apartment buildings fall under the programme,” Grigoty Yavlinsky, member of Yabloko’s Political Committee commented.

Chair of the Moscow branch of Yabloko Sergei Mitrokhin, who was consistently protesting against the planned housing demolition, claims that not only the bill must be recalled but whole city planning policy must be changed. “I am glad that so many people came to the rally. It is truly a clear message to the government. If the officials have some common sense left, they must recall this anti-constitutional law, otherwise the developments may take an unpredictable turn,” the politician said.

Yabloko was trying to hold a rally against the renovation programme several times. However, the City Hall refused to authorise the action.

On April 6, the Moscow branch of Yabloko conducted a round table on the demolition of five-storey apartment blocks and invited architectures, city developers, housing experts, sociologists and activists. The experts discovered a large number of defects in the project of the Moscow government: from technical details to its constitutionality.

On 20 April, activists of the Moscow branch of Yabloko held a series of one-person pickets by the State Duma protesting against the draft law initiated by Moscow government on “housing renovation”, which the State Duma had to consider in the first reading.