Mashtots Park Movement
| Mashtots Park Movement | |||
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| Part of the Occupy movement | |||
Time for the Self-Determined Citizen, a Mashtots Park Movement poster
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| Date | February 11, 2012 – May 1, 2012 (2 months, 1 week and 4 days) |
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Mashtots Avenue, Yerevan, Armenia 40°10′54.9214″N 44°30′34.78″E / 40.181922611°N 44.5096611°E |
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| Causes | Preservation of public green areas, environmental purposes, civic activism, self-determination as citizens, against oligarchy | ||
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| Parties to the civil conflict | |||
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Mashtots Park Movement (Armenian: Մաշտոցի պուրակի շարժում), also known as #SaveMashtotsPark and OccupyMashtots began as a sit-in on February 11, 2012 in Mashtots Park, Yerevan. The protest was initiated by "This City Belongs to Us" civic initiative, and grew into a full-scale movement. The main issues were illegal or inadequate constructions, the destruction of trees and green zones in Yerevan, but now the questions of citizens' self-determination, fight against corruption and oligarchy, the prevalence of public interests over private have been raised. While the US occupy movements act against the bureaucratic system resulting in social and economic inequality, Mashtots Park Movement places itself in a different socioeconomic context - oligarchy, "people above the law" who, having economical and political resources, place their interests above those of the people.
Mashtots Park Movement's roots are in eco-activist movements of late 2000-s in Armenia, when civic initiatives were formed to protect several endangered aspects of Armenian nature - including Teghut forest, Trchkan waterfall, Kajaran, and others; and the urban initiatives of Yerevan fighting for the preservation of the gardens, monuments, historical buildings and green zones.
On January 18, 2011 Yerevan authorities began dismantling trade kiosks placed on downtown Abovyan Street. It was reported that as the kiosk owners had lease contracts and had made no breaches, the municipality had reached an agreement with them on the conditions of the dismantling - specifically, an agreement to compensate the dismantled kiosks by providing new ones on a new location.
While Yerevan Chief Architect Narek Sargsyan denied the rumors that the dismantled kiosks were to be moved to Aram Street, the municipality confirmed the news on January 30, 2011. Urban activists had staged a protest against the destruction of the green zone (later named Missak Manouchian park) on the crossing of Mashtots Avenue and Aram Street in the center of Yerevan right besides Margaryan Maternity Hospital the previous day - January 29. Photographs show that the kiosk carcasses had already been assembled by that point - indicating an earlier date of construction.
Mashtots Park Movement was initiated by civic activists trying to save the park from being turned into a trade zone with kiosks. The area was quickly dubbed "Mashtots park", a name it is known to the public now. Starting from February 11, 2012, when the activists were denied legal explanation for the construction, dozens of them organized a sit-in to halt the construction and save the park.
A group of doctors from the nearby Polyclinic No. 2 and Yerevan State Medical University disapproved of the construction and its effects on the overall city health.
Activists started a petition to voice the public opinion and influence the city mayor Taron Margaryan. Some 10,000 people signed the petition.
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Wikipedia