Members of the Moving Together organization have started an indefinite rally in protest of the Church of Scientology on Vosstaniye Square in downtown St. Petersburg.
Vasily Yakemenko, the movement's leader, told Interfax on Monday that "the organization's activists have been living in a tent at the entrance to the sect's headquarters for the past five days. A huge sign indicates the sect's location to city authorities and passers-by. Several tens of thousands of citizens have already signed a request to close the sect that will be sent to St. Petersburg Governor Vladimir Yakovlev," Yakemenko said.
He specified that the sect's victims already include hundreds of St. Petersburg residents. That is why the city's public has given such strong support to the rally.
"We believe that this sect is a Satanic cult and poses a criminal threat. We hope that the city's authorities will take all the necessary steps to close the sect," he said, stressing that his organization intends to continue its protest until the sect has been fully removed.