Nikol, You Are Not My Prime Minister: Police Prevent Protesters from Sitting on Government Steps

Dear citizens, note that we are not allowed to sit on the steps that serve as public space. The Prime Minister himself said that this belongs to the people. This was stated by activist Manuel Manukyan during a protest in front of the Armenian government.

A number of citizens are protesting against the banking system and, when they attempted to stage a sit-in in front of the government, the police did not allow the participants to sit on the steps.

“The Prime Minister himself said that this is the people’s space and belongs to the people,” Manuel stated, to which a police officer added that no one should attempt to cross the police line; if they want to sit down, they should do so away from the police cordon.

The participants of the protest conducted a sit-in in front of the government. Manuel Manukyan again urged citizens to join the sit-in collectively. “If the Prime Minister wants to disdain us, let him disdain us; we will remain here sitting, waiting for Nikol Pashinyan. If he intends to flee, let him flee,” he said.

Another protest participant addressed Nikol Pashinyan, saying, “Pashinyan Nikol, you wanted 5 facts related to the banking system, we presented them; you wanted evidence, we provided it. Pashinyan Nikol, you are not my Prime Minister, come down. The Armenian nation wants solutions to issues, the Armenian nation wants to leave the country, and you are not even opening the roads to let them go. Here with us is an elderly woman sitting, whose pension has been seized. If that is not disgraceful, then what is? How far have we come when pensions for retirees are being seized?”