Press Release, May 30, 2013

The Volgograd branch of YABLOKO cannot place its banner with an innocent slogan “For Welfare, Peace and Love” in the Kamishin city, the Volgograd region. The advertising company that signed a contract with YABLOKO for placing the banner for a month began dismantling of the banner on the third day after its placing.

According to the agreement with the local advertising company, YABLOKO paid for the space for its banner and placed it outside cultural centre Tekstilshik. The banner pictures a well-known publicist Sergei Zakharov against the city view. According to the authorities Zakharov supported “wrong” political views when he had brilliantly played the role of the Watermelon Tsar at a popular local festival. [The Watermelon Festival is a traditional holiday in Kamishin tracing back to the Peter the Great times. The residents of the city held a theatrical performance staging the arrival of Peter the Great together with his escort and the Watermelon Tsar]. The slogan “For Welfare, Peace and Love” had nothing wrong in it. YABLOKO’s green logotype was situated in the upper corner of the banner.

According to the contract, YABLOKO had to rent the space for a month. But three days after placing the banner, representatives of the advertising company called Sergei Grigoryev, leader of the Kamishin branch of YABLOKO, and insisted on removing the banner.

“We cannot say it openly, but you obviously understand all this,” said the company representative.

“And what about our contract?” Grigoryev asked.

“Forget it. We are ready to return you your money and go to court, but we will remove the banner tomorrow”, said the representative of the company nervously.

By the end of the day the company began dismantling of the banner.