North Ossetia: picketers against "Electrozink" factory promise to hold regular protests

The participants of the picket organized in Vladikavkaz by public organizations against pollution of the environment by the metallurgical factory "Electrozink" said that they would go on with their protests.

"Our goal is to ensure that people see, get interested and come here next time," said the picketers.

The today's picket was dominated by young people – they held posters: "Electrozink: metallurgy or chemical experience over the population", "Stop 'Electrozink'!", "For ecology and health outside politics", "Save us and future generations of Ossetia", "Ensure sanitary zone under the law!", "Penalty is poisoning, people die for metal!", "Factory! Get out of the city!", "100,000 people of Vladikavkaz live on land contaminated by 'Electrozink'!"

The activists addressed passers-by and disseminated photocopies of documents, which allegedly contained information about the negative impact of the factory on human health and the environment.

Besides, several picketers were handing over to the motorists passing by the square white stripes with the words "Stop 'Electrozink'!", the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

"Every month we go out to the streets and try to bring our protest position to the knowledge of all those, who are not indifferent to their future and the future of their children. Today, the people have gathered here, who are not united by any political and economic views. The square is full of people who want to breathe clean air in and intend to defend this right," said Zalina Kairova, one of the organizers of the picket.

Atsamaz Khadikov, a graduated medic and another organizer of the picket, is sure that quite a lot of human diseases are associated with the state of the environment. He noted that in assessing the ecological condition, it is unacceptable to compare the situation in Vladikavkaz with any other Russian city, where there is no enterprise of non-ferrous metallurgy.

A pensioner Irina Abaeva, who was also among those who watched the picketing, believes that the final decision on the "Electrozink" could be taken only after "alternative jobs with decent salaries are found for those who now work in the factory shops with hazardous labour conditions."