The bartenders "provoked" riot police, said the vice-governor

The vice-governor of St. Petersburg Evgeny Elin said that the bartenders of the Commode establishment on Rubinstein Street themselves “provoked” law enforcement agencies . The official of the official was quoted by the Fontanka.

According to Elin, "strict power means were used only after physical impact on representatives of the authorities was exerted." The vice-governor claims that the institution was held in the police and the property control committee.

According to Elin, the “provocation” was that the bar openly stated that it would not observe coronavirus restrictions, and that the bartenders “applied force to officials and law enforcement officials”. According to the vice-governor, the use of force is possible only from law enforcement agencies.

Evgeny Elin
Vice Governor of St. Petersburg

- Violence for restaurateurs against residents is unacceptable. <...> It turned out that these are employees or not, it is impossible to physically influence, it is impossible to forcefully hold where these residents work, the tenth business. <...> [a] from the police, violence is an obligation. <...> due to legislation, they are violence. Violence is possible only from the law enforcement agencies.

At the same time, the control of Commode Oksana Vasilenko claims that a “suspicious visitor” appeared in the institution, who, at the beginning of the assault, began to “lead [himself] defiantly and wanted to open the door.” It could be a "dummy", says Vasilenko. The employees of the institution tried to stop him, but “did not beat and did not twist,” the manager notes. After that, three bar staff who were in contact with a “suspicious visitor” were taken to the police department.

During the night raids on Rubinstein Street, riot police officers in the Commode bar threw people to the floor and beat their feet and batons. The video of the beating was published by the entrepreneur and the initiator of the creation of the “Resistance Map” Alexander Konovalov.

The raid in the Communist Bar of Commode, which worked after 23:00, occurred on the night of December 9: judging by the published video, people were thrown to the floor and beat their feet and batons. This happened on the same day when they published a “resistance map” of bars and cafes, which are supposedly going to work on New Year's holidays contrary to the ban on Smolny.

SK reported that during the raids of three bars that ignored coronavirus restrictions, seized documents, electronic media and other objects of interest to the UK. In addition, all three establishments received protocols for violation of restrictive measures.

The Kremlin called the creation of a "resistance map" disrespect for people. At the same time, several St. Petersburg institutions stated that they were added to the map without their knowledge.