Green Carpet Curtains

Fighting for the forests, is fighting for life

Russia: From the fight for the forest to fight for democracy

The environmental activist Evgenia Chirikov, November 10, 2010, in Forest Khimki, Russia. Mikhail Metzel / AP / SIPA

ENVIRONMENT - Environmentalists Russians do not give up before the decision to pass a highway in the forest ... Khimki

Months that environmental activists are fighting for avoid destruction of the forest of Khimki, Moscow and St. Petersburg. The highway project linking the two cities will yet through the forest: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev confirmed the route Tuesday, claiming to have examined all possible alternatives. In late August, the project had been suspended to conduct a public consultation which, according to opponents of the project was not conducted fairly and democratically.

Indifference Medvedev "to the people, law and corruption"

Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov has nice announce that the Government will spend four billion rubles (97 million euros) to limit the consequences of construction of this highway on the environment, environmentalists do not expect to leave: the mobilization now going on a field more politically and environmentally. "We will continue our struggle Said Eugenia Chirikov, environmental activist who led the protest movement. In addition, we will now internationally: we have already received support from Stuttgart, Belgium and France. A major campaign is being waged against the participation of the French group Vinci highway project. " Eugenia
Chirikov also felt that the decision taken by the Kremlin showed the indifference of President Medvedev "to the people, law and corruption." The adversarial promised by the president turned into a "semblance of consultation" as Alexei Prokopiev, French support for Russian activists. "Putin did not execute the order given by Medvedev, people who had heard all interest in the highway is done, there is a fairly serious democratic deficit," says Alexei Prokopiev.

Lobby French and European players

The French group Vinci, the highway concessionaire , is in the crosshairs of French support to militant Russian. "Several European players, including da Vinci and the EBRD (European Bank for Reconstruction and Development) which funds the project, welcomed this move will. Now we must focus on them, telling them Vinci could not do that in Europe and the EBRD that its role is to respect democracy, not to take advantage of its flaws, "says Alexei Prokopiev.
In France, a "flash mob" was held Friday in Paris , while ecologists are calling for Russian a demonstration in Moscow on December 31 . "The fight for the forest has become a struggle for democracy," says Alexei Prokopiev.