Freedom Square was packed this evening. Those who attended the concert in the National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet in the honor of Charles, the Prince of Wales, parked their cars in the square itself.
Let us remind that the police did not allow Raffi Hovhannisyan to put up a tent in Freedom Square two months ago, explaining that asphalt was a historic and cultural value, and the tent’s nails might damage the asphalt of the square. Valeri Osipyan, the Deputy Chief of
Police of Yerevan, who was in Freedom Square today and would instruct to make way for cars to park in the square, didn’t think that the asphalt regarded as a cultural value might be damaged because of parking dozens of cars. “This is a special event: it’s not every day that a prince visits Armenia. And, besides, they are not damaging the asphalt; what can they damage? This is temporary; this is not a tent that they will put up for a few days. These are cars that will leave in a few hours,” Mr. Osipyan said, assuring that the issue of parking cars was checked with the Ministry of Culture and City Hall. Then he added that if the issue of putting up a tent was checked too, the police would not see any problem with putting up a tent. One of the activists joked: “Mr. Osipyan, let’s go and pray.” Mr. Osipyan, in turn, urged: “Instead of subjecting it to mockery, you had better go to church more often!” The activist continued: “I am under the impression that the Church and the police have signed a memorandum of cooperation, and the Church has entrusted the police with its PR.” And the deputy chief of police said that a police officer is first of all a man, then a police officer. “This is the mission that we perform.”
Arpine SIMONYAN
