You're reading: Klitschko says today’s Maidan no longer associated with aspiring to freedom, must be dismantled

 Maidan must be dismantled entirely in the very near future, said Kyiv's Mayor Vitali Klitschko.

 “I am certain that we must re-format Maidan in the very near future: it must self-determine and Kyiv can return to normal life. The capital city has always been a trendsetter for the processes occurring in our country,” Klitschko said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine on July 11.

Today’s Maidan is no longer what it was a few months ago when it was associated with people’s aspirations to live in a free, democratic society, he said.

“It is very odd when shots are heard and fights occur on Maidan, there is a large number of drunken people there. We called it Euromaidan, but these are far from being European standards!” Klitschko said.

He cited the findings of a sociological survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology on July 1-5, which showed that while 80% of Kyiv residents backed protestors last winter, now 82% disapprove of the tent camp on Independence Square, with 79% believing that over time Maidan has turned into a stomping ground for criminals and tramps, and 89% insisting on the dismantling of the barricades.

One of the city’s main thoroughfares – Khreschatyk Street – must be vacated, its blocking is a major inconvenience for the entire city center which has been practically paralyzed, Klitschko said.

Currently, there are about 800 Maidan activists, he said. Also, several buildings in central Kyiv remain occupied to this day, but must be vacated in the very near future.