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Festival against Festival.
23/05/2018
The campaign for moving the fan zone away from the Sparrow Hills has been running for almost a year already. In July 2017 the University Solidarity trade union of employees of the Moscow State University sent a letter to FIFA President Gianni Infantino requesting his assistance in moving the fan zone, however there was no answer.
Earlier, students of the Moscow State University sent a similar request to the government officials responsible for the arrangement of the fan zone. At a closed meeting on April 9 Arkady Dvorkovich, Chairman of the Russia 2018 Organizing Committee, Deputy Prime Minister, promised within a week to consider alternative sites for the arrangement of the fan zone, however he broke his promise and falsely informed the mass media about having reached an agreement with the students. On April 11, the students submitted a petition, signed by over 13 thousand people, to the Mayor of Moscow for the transfer of the fan zone and held a series of one-man pickets by the building of the Moscow City Government. On April 28 over two hundred students of the Moscow State University and other higher education institutions joined an unauthorized action “Human Shield”, symbolically shielding the Main Building from the loud fest to be arranged only 300 meters away from the academic and residential buildings.
On May 3, the day when the Head of the Organizing Committee's Supervisory Board on preparations for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Vladimir Putin and FIFA President Gianni Infantino met in Sochi, a petition was registered in the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation with a demand to move the Moscow fan zone from the territory of the Sparrow Hills. The petition was signed by over 14 thousand of students, employees, graduates of the Moscow State University, Moscow residents and those, who are not indifferent to the issue. The submission of the petition was accompanied by one-man pickets by the building of the Presidential Administration.
Students, postgraduates, professors, ecologists, volunteers and municipal deputies do not only apply to the government agencies, but also appeal to the members of the public through publications in Russian and foreign mass media. At the Fest against Fan Fest that took place in the Moscow State University on May 22, a scarce number of participants tried to get answers to the following questions:
- are Moscow and federal authorities entitled to interfere with the University’s life and use its territory, to disturb the educational and academic processes in the pursuit of political or commercial interests?
- who in the Moscow State University and how can influence the decision making? Whose opinion must be taken into consideration in the matters of holding such kind of events?
- are students and employees entitled to express their opinion in public without being afraid of the pushback on the part of officials assigned to the Moscow State University and representatives of the administration controlled by such officials?
- does the voice of local residents, municipal deputies chosen by people, students, postgraduates and employees of the Moscow State University have any value at all when the fate of the Sparrow Hills is at stake? Will their unique environment be preserved?
The editors of FansHotline24 asked those questions to our legal partner - European Legal Service. The comments were provided by the company’s lead lawyer Aleksandr Nikolayevich Spiridonov:
“In this situation the activities of the federal and regional authorities are governed by the provisions of Federal Law No. 108-ФЗ dd. 07/06/2013 On Preparations and Holding of 2018 FIFA World Cup, 2017 FIFA Confederation Cup in the Russian Federation and Introduction of Changes to Specific Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation. In pursuance of this Federal Law, Russian Federation Government Decree No. 518 dd. 20/06/2013 On the Program of Preparations to Holding the 2018 World Cup in the Russian Federation was adopted. This Program, in paragraph 103 in particular, provides for “Supply, assembly, disassembly of constructions and structures of temporary purpose and/or auxiliary usage for the preparations and holding of sports events at the Luzhniki Big Sports Arena, Moscow, and in the territory adjacent to the stadium, including design and survey work.”
Moreover, according to Federal Law No. 259-ФЗ dd. 10/11/2009 On the Lomonosov Moscow State University and the Saint Petersburg State University, the Lomonosov Moscow State University is funded from the federal budget and other sources not prohibited by the laws of the Russian Federation. The Lomonosov Moscow State University, facilities under its operation control and at its independent disposal (buildings, structures, constructions) of academic, production, social infrastructures, including residential premises located in the buildings of academic, production, social and cultural purpose, as well as clinical sites under the operation control of the Lomonosov Moscow State University or owned by it through any other right, are included into federal property. The founder of the Lomonosov Moscow State University is the Government of the Russian Federation on behalf of the Russian Federation, as stated in the Charter of the Lomonosov Moscow State University as amended. The Rector of the Lomonosov Moscow State University is to be appointed and dismissed by the President of the Russian Federation. Upon appointment to the position of the Rector of the Lomonosov Moscow State University by the President of the Russian Federation the term of appointment is to be determined which must not exceed five years. The Rector of the Lomonosov Moscow State University can be dismissed before expiry of his/her term of appointment by the decision of the President of the Russian Federation.
Therefore, the federal and regional authorities have full legal capacity to use the territory of the Moscow State University and sites in the Sparrow Hills area for the arrangement of the fan zone.
People are entitled to express their opinion among other things through holding meetings, always in accordance with Federal Law No. 54-ФЗ dd. 19/06/2004 On Gatherings, Meetings, Demonstrations, Processions and Picketing.”
Earlier, students of the Moscow State University sent a similar request to the government officials responsible for the arrangement of the fan zone. At a closed meeting on April 9 Arkady Dvorkovich, Chairman of the Russia 2018 Organizing Committee, Deputy Prime Minister, promised within a week to consider alternative sites for the arrangement of the fan zone, however he broke his promise and falsely informed the mass media about having reached an agreement with the students. On April 11, the students submitted a petition, signed by over 13 thousand people, to the Mayor of Moscow for the transfer of the fan zone and held a series of one-man pickets by the building of the Moscow City Government. On April 28 over two hundred students of the Moscow State University and other higher education institutions joined an unauthorized action “Human Shield”, symbolically shielding the Main Building from the loud fest to be arranged only 300 meters away from the academic and residential buildings.
On May 3, the day when the Head of the Organizing Committee's Supervisory Board on preparations for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Vladimir Putin and FIFA President Gianni Infantino met in Sochi, a petition was registered in the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation with a demand to move the Moscow fan zone from the territory of the Sparrow Hills. The petition was signed by over 14 thousand of students, employees, graduates of the Moscow State University, Moscow residents and those, who are not indifferent to the issue. The submission of the petition was accompanied by one-man pickets by the building of the Presidential Administration.
Students, postgraduates, professors, ecologists, volunteers and municipal deputies do not only apply to the government agencies, but also appeal to the members of the public through publications in Russian and foreign mass media. At the Fest against Fan Fest that took place in the Moscow State University on May 22, a scarce number of participants tried to get answers to the following questions:
- are Moscow and federal authorities entitled to interfere with the University’s life and use its territory, to disturb the educational and academic processes in the pursuit of political or commercial interests?
- who in the Moscow State University and how can influence the decision making? Whose opinion must be taken into consideration in the matters of holding such kind of events?
- are students and employees entitled to express their opinion in public without being afraid of the pushback on the part of officials assigned to the Moscow State University and representatives of the administration controlled by such officials?
- does the voice of local residents, municipal deputies chosen by people, students, postgraduates and employees of the Moscow State University have any value at all when the fate of the Sparrow Hills is at stake? Will their unique environment be preserved?
The editors of FansHotline24 asked those questions to our legal partner - European Legal Service. The comments were provided by the company’s lead lawyer Aleksandr Nikolayevich Spiridonov:
“In this situation the activities of the federal and regional authorities are governed by the provisions of Federal Law No. 108-ФЗ dd. 07/06/2013 On Preparations and Holding of 2018 FIFA World Cup, 2017 FIFA Confederation Cup in the Russian Federation and Introduction of Changes to Specific Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation. In pursuance of this Federal Law, Russian Federation Government Decree No. 518 dd. 20/06/2013 On the Program of Preparations to Holding the 2018 World Cup in the Russian Federation was adopted. This Program, in paragraph 103 in particular, provides for “Supply, assembly, disassembly of constructions and structures of temporary purpose and/or auxiliary usage for the preparations and holding of sports events at the Luzhniki Big Sports Arena, Moscow, and in the territory adjacent to the stadium, including design and survey work.”
Moreover, according to Federal Law No. 259-ФЗ dd. 10/11/2009 On the Lomonosov Moscow State University and the Saint Petersburg State University, the Lomonosov Moscow State University is funded from the federal budget and other sources not prohibited by the laws of the Russian Federation. The Lomonosov Moscow State University, facilities under its operation control and at its independent disposal (buildings, structures, constructions) of academic, production, social infrastructures, including residential premises located in the buildings of academic, production, social and cultural purpose, as well as clinical sites under the operation control of the Lomonosov Moscow State University or owned by it through any other right, are included into federal property. The founder of the Lomonosov Moscow State University is the Government of the Russian Federation on behalf of the Russian Federation, as stated in the Charter of the Lomonosov Moscow State University as amended. The Rector of the Lomonosov Moscow State University is to be appointed and dismissed by the President of the Russian Federation. Upon appointment to the position of the Rector of the Lomonosov Moscow State University by the President of the Russian Federation the term of appointment is to be determined which must not exceed five years. The Rector of the Lomonosov Moscow State University can be dismissed before expiry of his/her term of appointment by the decision of the President of the Russian Federation.
Therefore, the federal and regional authorities have full legal capacity to use the territory of the Moscow State University and sites in the Sparrow Hills area for the arrangement of the fan zone.
People are entitled to express their opinion among other things through holding meetings, always in accordance with Federal Law No. 54-ФЗ dd. 19/06/2004 On Gatherings, Meetings, Demonstrations, Processions and Picketing.”