Protest Against New Clinic Construction: Participants Speculate on Ownership

A group of residents on Freedom Boulevard staged a protest against the construction of a new building. One of the residents of 12/2 Freedom Street stated that a large number of police officers invaded the yard in the morning to ensure the start of construction, despite complaints about violations having been submitted to the relevant authorities.

"They want to build 3-4 medical centers where the boiler house used to be, even though there are serious violations in geology, seismicity, environmental protection, urban planning, and communications. Applications have been submitted everywhere - to the prosecutor's office, the city hall, the Ministry of Urban Development, and we have raised alarms and demanded that construction be halted until the issue is clarified. However, the construction permit expires in exactly 20 days, and if it expires, they will not grant permission a second time; that’s excluded. Therefore, they want to implement their actions by force and coercion," the resident said.

The residents noted that they do not even know who the owner is. "They don’t appear; only the police come. Perhaps the police are the owners, we don’t know whose command this is," the resident said, mentioning the presence of criminal elements as residents' names were used to sign and issue construction permits.

"Just two hours ago, those who were speaking were not violating any public order, but those who spoke were being hit and taken away. We filmed it; I have never seen anything like this. Even at this moment, there are more police than us. They are using every kind of force—both the police and the red berets, and even there are private companies, which usually stand in supermarkets, have been gathered and brought here. We are guessing who the owners are. I don’t want to make a statement, but the governor's brother, the deputy prosecutor. We will find out everything tonight. This is a gang that wants to realize this," said a participant of the protest.