On January 28, a rally was held in Novosibirsk, Siberia, against rising tariffs for housing and utility services. The protest was triggered by the unprecedented 15-percent increase in tariffs for hot water.
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| Novosibirsk, Jan. 28, 2017. Photos: OKP |
Housing and civil-society activists spoke at the rally, representing the Association of Councils of Apartment Houses of FNL, the organization “Alternative Housing,” the foundation “We are Against Corruption,” and the committee “Pensioners for a Decent Life.”
Apart from the Communists, the rally heard a representative from a completely different end of the spectrum – the “National Liberation Movement” (NOD). Moreover, his statement boiled down to a presentation of the NOD’s theses on the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, the role of Vladimir Putin in the fate of Russia, and the like. By the end of his speech, some protesters tried to wrest the microphone from the speaker.
At the end, the event made a serious criticism of the regional governor and mayor of Novosibirsk, including demanding their resignations.
The thrust of the resolution adopted by the rally: to repeal the decision to increase tariffs by 15 percent. The demand was addressed to the governor, the Novosibirsk mayor and the President of the Russian Federation, to intervene in the situation. Protesters also asked the regional prosecutor to conduct checks on corruption in the decrees of the head of the region.
This rally is not the last. The next action was announced for February 25.
Translated by Greg Butterfield
Red Star News + Translations 