The rally in Syktyvkar against the landfill, despite the cold weather, gathered, according to various sources, from 2 to 5.5 thousand people — residents of the Komi Republic and the neighboring Arkhangelsk Oblast. Muscovites also expressed their interest in the anti-garbage protest on November 9: blogger Ilya Varlamov broadcast the rally in his social networks, and journalist Maxim Shevchenko even made a speech. Participants demanded the resignation of the Head of Komi Sergey Gaplikov, Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin, Governor of Arkhangelsk Oblast Igor Orlov and Russian President Vladimir Putin. 7x7 reports about how the rally went.
The rally against the landfill construction at station Shies began in Michurinsky Park at 1AM. According to the estimates of representative of the United Group of Public Observation Vyacheslav Slyusarev, the action gathered about 5.5 thousand people. He noted that the rally was attended by at least 140 police officers in uniform and plainclothes, five of them did not have any badges.
According to Slyusarev, the frames at the entrance did not work, and people with children were warned by the police that they were responsible for them. Acting Head of the Administration of Syktyvkar Olga Elfimova reported that only 2 thousand people had participated in the rally.
The first speech was given by the blogger from Ivanovo, known under the name of the Ded Archimed (‘Grandfather Archimedes’). For a start, he clarified whether the action was coordinated:
Ded Archimed. Photo by Kirill Sheyn
- Do you know the difference between authorized and unauthorized rallies? When you get beaten at an authorized rally, it's wrong. And when you get beaten at an unauthorized rally, it's right.
Ded Archimed performed several songs, including his own composition - about Shies, and at the end he was given his toy copy. The crowd supported the speakers shouting "Hands off Shies!", "Resign!", «Shame!» and «Police, support the people!»
Blogger Ilya Varlamov. Photo by Kirill Sheyn
Deputy of the State Council of Komi Oleg Mikhailov spoke about the "police lawlessness" at station Shies:
— Today we are already talking mostly about it. This is the result of the activities of the current government, the current regime, which relies on a baton, and not on the majority of citizens of our country. Agree?
People shouted «Yes!» simultaneously.
Photo by Kirill Sheyn
Member of the Clean Urdoma initiative group Svetlana Babenko appealed to law enforcement agencies and governments of Arkhangelsk Oblast and Komi:
— We must listen to the people. It is necessary to understand the people and what they say to you. Without this concept, you are against the people, you are in favor of starting a war with the people. You can't do that. The most important thing is the people who live in our Russia, who live in our republics. For the free North!
Journalist and Deputy of the Legislative Assembly of Vladimir Oblast Maxim Shevchenko apologized for the fact that garbage would be brought from Moscow:
— Moscow, you say. I myself am a native Muscovite. And today in Moscow we are proud of you, Shies defenders. Because you are the defenders of Russia, you are the defenders of Moscow. So forgive me for the fact that they use our name and bring this dirt here to the sacred, pure land of the Komi Republic, the land of the ancient Russian North. We will not allow it, we are with you, remember about it! We are with you, the whole of Russia is with you today! I saw people from different parts of our Homeland at Shies. You are Russia today! Your fight is not just the fight of one region of our country, it is the fight of the entire people of our Homeland for the right to be a human being, for the right to be a citizen, for the right for future.
According to him, sorting and processing plants are not built in Russia, because only money is important for the authorities:
— They want to bury poison in our ground, to receive money for it which we will pay them in the form of so-called garbage tariff or our taxes. Then — to transfer this money abroad, where it is good, where there are no garbage dumps, and to live there. They don't care about us. This is a criminal government! This power cannot rule our country. This power is not for the people, and we did not choose it. They have appropriated the right to rule to themselves. This is an occupation regime; this is a regime that hates the Homeland because it is not their country. They make money here, and we have to die here. It won't happen! Down with the criminal power! Long live Shies! Long live the defense of our Homeland! Long live Russia!
Shevchenko also supported activists promoting the Komi language. He said that the fight for national languages is "a fight for Russia, for a huge, beautiful, free, multinational, democratic country."
Photo by Kirill Sheyn
Chairman of the Ecologists of Komi environmental movement Nina Ananina said that the landfill construction at Shies was dangerous for everyone:
- Leachate is a water poisoning that nature will not be able to overcome. Every ecosystem has a limit. All inland waters will be polluted. Vizinga and Ust-Vymsky district fall under the affected area. So that Shies won’t pass us by. Hands off Shies! What can we do now? Help activists. Give them warm clothes, food. In addition to financial assistance, the activists need protection from the police lawlessness. Each of you can make a contribution to the closure of this building forever. Close Shies!
Member of the Board of the Committee for the Vychegda Protection Victor Vishnevetsky reported on the money that was collected at the last rally on June 2. About 15 thousand rubles were spent on transport and munitions, almost the same sum — on food and spare parts. More than 35 thousand rubles were spent on legal assistance to activists. The activist reminded about the trailer of activists taken away by police, therefore suggested that police officers should "lay down".
Viktor Vishnevetsky. Photo by Kirill Sheyn
According to activist Andrei Aksenovsky, if there was no Shies, people would not "wake up". He asked everyone to think about waste sorting.
Deputy of the Council of Syktyvkar Ilya Bogdanov read the resolution of the meeting aloud. In it, the participants protested the construction of the landfill at station Shies and demanded "the immediate resignation of the Head of Komi Sergey Gaplikov and his entire team", Governor of Arkhangelsk Oblast Igor Orlov, Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. In addition, they demanded an independent investigation of the participation of the police, FSB and riot police from the Republic in the transportation of fuel to Shies, a referendum on banning the import of garbage from other regions to Komi, the abolition of garbage reform, the introduction of waste sorting and the termination of persecution of activists.
Photo by Kirill Sheyn
The landfill for Moscow garbage at station Shies in Arkhangelsk Oblast began to be built in July 2018. It is located 100 km from Syktyvkar. Residents of Komi and Arkhangelsk Oblast united against the construction, regularly hold actions and organized termless protests in 24 settlements («bessrochka», or protest gatherings, which activists do not want to stop until they achieve their goal, in the central squares demanding to stop works at Shies).
