04 June 2016, 02:21
In Saint Petersburg, about 100 people come to protest action against renaming bridge after Akhmat Kadyrov
On June 3, in Saint Petersburg, people held an action to protest against the renaming one of the bridges of the northern capital after Akhmat Kadyrov, the first Chechen President. At the same time, some activists of the National Liberation Movement (NLM) held solo pickets. In their hands, they were holding posters reading: "Akhmat Kadyrov is the hero of Russia."
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on May 30, the Saint Petersburg Toponymy Commission voiced the proposal to rename the bridge over the Dudergof Channel after Akhmat Kadyrov. On June 3, a petition against the renaming of the bridge after Akhmat Kadyrov, posted on the website "Change.org", gained more than 70,000 signatures.
Immediately after the death of Akhmat Kadyrov, a kind of cult of his personality was launched. His name was given to an avenue in Grozny, a street in Moscow, the main sports complex (former "Dynamo") in the capital of the Chechen republic, as well as a mosque in Grozny.
According to Varya Mikhailova, an organizer of the action, participants of the gathering called on passers-by to join a mass protest action. The activists handed out about 400 leaflets explaining their position and appealing to visit the sanctioned rally to be held in Marsovo Pole on June 6.
Varya Mikhailova has also explained that people's disagreement with the renaming of the bridge after Akhmat Kadyrov arises from the controversial historical contribution of the first Chechen President, as well as from the officials' attempt to support Ramzan Kadyrov by their actions.
Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.
Author: Vyacheslav Feraposhkin Source: CK correspondent