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A group of employees and owners of cafes in downtown Yerevan are staging a protest against the recent decision of Yerevan Municipality to dismantle several cafés located in the vicinity of the Opera House as part of its program to restore green zone around the building.

The dismantling of the cafes started on Wednesday, four weeks after the Yerevan Municipality formally notified the cafe owners to vacate the premises, since the city is halting its lease contracts.

The protesters reportedly blocked the Mashtots Avenue-Tumanyan Street intersection by sitting or laying in the middle of the major road. They demand the authorities to cancel the decision, stressing dozens of workers will be left unemployed.

Police officers tried to disperse protesters, but they resumed the sit-in in another place.

The protesting cowed also demanded a meeting with Mayor Hayk Marutyan.

Stressing the need to recover Yerevan’s cultural features, Marutyan said in a Facebook post, “Today we fulfil our dream of many years as we are liberating the area surrounding the Opera House [from commercial property] and restore the atmosphere of the cultural hearth.”

He also thanked the Yerevan residents for “supporting the authorities in this matter.” “We feel your support,” Marutyan said.