Throughout the whole of the summer of 2007, the Russian capital has been the scene of pitched battle in at least 15 neighbourhoods. As property speculation takes off, the inhabitants group together in committees to defend their houses against the so-called “high density construction” (uplotnitelniy zastroiki), or building of new apartment blocks, mostly with the aim of speculating (shopping centres or housing for the elite). All this, right next to existing housing, breaking ecological, democratic and social rules. Other committees are fighting against the demolition of housing classed as “dilapidated” or seen as hindering property speculation.
Almost every day, in different neighbourhoods of Moscow, the inhabitants, with the help of young leftwing militants, fight for the recognition of their right to a viable city environment or quite simply for a right to housing. Most of these neighbourhood committees have existed for 2 or 3 years, but have recently stepped up their action in mobilising the public. At first, says Lioubov Troneva, leader of the Marchal Biriouzova street committee, the inhabitants tried to alert the authorities as to the illegal nature of the plans to build in the squares of existing apartment blocks. “We sent tons of letters, remembers Lioubov, to which we obtained either no reply or else something along the lines of “don’t worry, it’s all legal”!
This summer, when the wave of constructions was raging in all the large towns of the country, the inhabitants witnessed the arrival of cranes and bulldozers in force. Parks next to housing estates were wiped out in a few hours, private garages, children’s play areas or playing fields were destroyed in a day. And all this without the authorisation of the inhabitants of the neighbourhood who, according to the housing code, should at least have a say in the matter.
With these operations being forced upon them by housing companies covered by the passivity of local authority, neighbourhood committees resisted in their own way, by organising blockages of building sites, knocking down fences, marching in nearby streets etc. The media and public opinion followed and the news spread.
First combined action and first victory
On 30 August, the eve of a Moscow city festival, the neighbourhood committees, acting as one coordination council, took their first combined action. More than a hundred people representing a dozen neighbourhood committees and supported by young leftwing militants entered Moscow city hall territory, where demonstrations are forbidden. It was a well kept secret and so the inhabitants were able to make their way towards the reception area where they were stopped by the police. A delegation of a few people was allowed to enter in order to transmit the demonstrators’ demands and to request to speak to a high ranking member of the local government. For over two hours, the demonstrators who remained outside did not cease to cry slogans such as: “Louijkov (Mayor of Moscow), come out and meet us!”, “No to high density construction!”, “Louijkov, get high density yourself”!
At first overwhelmed by the events, the forces of order soon came to, and after half an hour a OMON (riot police) van arrived. The OMON encircled the demonstrators and attempted to disperse the crowd by force. This was without counting on the strength of the inhabitants who held on tightly to each other. In the end, thanks to the presence of journalists, the OMON had to back track sheepishly.
In the end, the delegation received by city hall representatives announced to the demonstrators that the Moscow government had accepted at least some of the inhabitants demands. A summit meeting between representatives of neighbourhood committees and the city’s head of property development , Vladimir Resin, is planned for 6 September.
This first victory – the Moscow authorities have been obliged to take into account the inhabitants demands and recognise the legitimacy of their action – should mean that the movement of coordination and unification of the neighbour hood committees becomes more dynamic”, declared Sergei Udaltsov, leader of the AKM (Vanguard of Red Youth) and member of the coordination committee.
Setting up a resistance movement in a very tense context
This first common victory was welcomed, coming as it did in such a tense context. The inhabitants involved in the fight are accused of “extremism” by the authorities, an accusation which carries a hefty penalty in Russia. An official complaint was even lodged against two women of the Juliebino neighbourhood committee in the south of Moscow, where the inhabitants are fighting to save their wooden houses under threat of demolition. On 18 August the women dared to ask the workers who had come to dig up their road to see the official authorisation to carry out the work. The police intervened immediately to resolve the conflict as they saw fit. The two women were taken to the police station by force and were only freed thanks to the pressure from neighbourhood committees who improvised a meeting in front of the police station.
Incidents of this nature are commonplace. On the Marchal Biriouzova site on 22 August, the henchmen of the Donstroï property developer whom the inhabitants recognised, attacked militants from other neighbourhoods with a baseball bat as they made their way home after a meeting. Eight people were injured, some badly. The authorities deny any link between the bandits and the property developer.
On 26 July, at a site picket in Kosignia street, a plain clothed policeman shot in the air. The inhabitants lodged a complaint. Nothing came of it.
In the city of Boutovo, where dozens of people have laid siege to save their wooden homes from demolition, there have been many cases of arson and there is a continual police presence.
Such conflicts, many of which are in Moscow, are also taking place in all the major towns in the country.
The problem is on one hand, the reform of the national building development code and on the other, the alliance between local councils and property developers who work together to confiscate land, demolish or build in violation to the rules. In fact the new urban policy works towards the interests of large property development groups linked to local authorities and goes against social needs and sanitary and ecological rules.
The movement of resistance to property speculation, overall is not very structured and coordinated. However, the time has come to establish networks between neighbourhood committees. A step towards society’s wake-up call.
Carine Clement
