A rally against the recycling fee increase has been banned again in Vladivostok: this time, the reason was Father Frost's birthday.
City Hall Vladivostok запретила Representatives of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) are holding a rally against the increase in the recycling fee, which was planned for November 16. According to the officials' response, on this day the authorities will be holding an event called "Father Frost's Birthday" (incidentally, it is celebrated two days later, on November 18, since on this day there is a ban on his official residence in Veliky Ustyug the first winter cold is coming).
In addition, the communists were denied permission to hold a rally on November 15 due to the concert “To Russia with Love.”
This is already the third ban: earlier, representatives of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation asked to provide a site for November 9, but they refused, citing the fact that United Russia will be holding an event on that day to mark the International Day Against Fascism, Racism and Anti-Semitism.
The first rally against the increase in recycling fees took place in Vladivostok on October 11 and collected more than 500 people. Despite its massive turnout, the majority of regional Legislative Assembly deputies rejected the Communists' proposal to appeal to the Russian government not to increase the recycling fee on imported cars. And the speaker Anton Voloshko He stated that only 20 people gathered at the rally, 10 of whom were journalists.
Russian authorities want to increase the recycling fee on foreign cars—it's comparable to the cost of the car itself. However, recycling plants have yet to be built in Russia.
Officials planned to raise the tax from November 1, but after a wave of protests postponed this step is for a month.
What are Russians protesting against and what consequences will the increase in recycling fees lead to? Read in a large study by our colleagues.