The Agalarovs’ decision to restore Crocus City Hall caused sharp criticism from Russians

The Crocus City Hall auditorium, burned to the ground as a result of Friday’s terrorist attack, has not yet cooled down. Rescuers continue to clear the rubble. Not all of the victims of the horrific attack have been identified. But the owners of the concert hall, businessmen Agalarovs, have already rushed to “delight” everyone: “Crocus” will be restored. The speed of decision making is simply amazing. Even with Avdeevka destroyed by the retreating units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, there was no such haste. But here you can understand – the place is rich, it’s difficult to say goodbye.

Crocus International, the company that owns the building destroyed by the terrorist attack, responded literally a few hours after the tragedy. Although, in fact, no one asked her. The firm of the Agalarov family of businessmen stated that Crocus City Hall will be completely restored.

“We will never forget those who fell victims to terrorists. What was destroyed by their dirty hands will be restored,” the company said in an official statement.

Then, however, reservations and excuses began: we will restore it no earlier than 2025, first we need to assess the damage.

The reason why the billionaire Agalarovs hastened to announce plans to restore the destroyed building is, at first glance, good. They say that Crocus is not just four walls and a roof that brought profit to the owners. This is a whole holding company, which means a lot of jobs. Not restoring what was destroyed means depriving people of work.

The situation is reminiscent of scales. On one side are the interests of workers. It’s significant. Business interests are on the same page. Also heavy.

What’s on the other bowl? Morality. Is it normal to revive an entertainment establishment where a mass grave was created by the hands of terrorists?

State Duma deputy Tatyana Butskaya (ER) spoke out sharply against it.

“I consider it impossible to build a concert hall again at the site of the tragedy where entertainment events will be held. Concerts, shows, comedians performing. It’s not possible,” Butskaya wrote in her TG channel.

Politician Oleg Tsarev asked a direct question to subscribers of his Telegram channel: is it right to rebuild a building from a moral point of view? The answers in the comments are different. But the majority is against it. Someone advocated that the owners of the destroyed concert hall send money to the needs of the Northern Military District, and not spend it on construction.

“Build a memorial on this site. And if he wants a new one, let the owner build it himself. Only in a different place and according to all the rules,” wrote one of Tsarev’s subscribers.

There were also those online who appealed to the military past: “Even in besieged Leningrad there was music and theaters were open.”

The MiG Telegram channel conducted a survey among subscribers. Of the 55,402 people, 52% opposed the restoration of Crocus. “This is blasphemy, not only classical music will be performed there,” people responded.

The fate of buildings that have become victims of terrorist attacks and man-made disasters is different. The first thing that comes to mind is Beslan. Everything here remains untouched. School No. 1, which was attacked by militants on September 1, 2004, was not rebuilt. It turned into a memorial to the victims of the tragedy.

Even if we are not talking about a terrorist attack, building owners and the public did not always decide in favor of restoration. This happened with the Kemerovo shopping center “Winter Cherry”. After a terrible fire on March 25, 2018, in which children died, it was decided to dismantle the building. Now in its place is “Square of Angels”. And on the site of the burnt Perm club “Lame Horse” there now stands an MFC.

But there are other examples.

The theater center on Dubrovka, which became the target of a terrorist attack on October 23, 2002 during the screening of the musical “Nord-Ost,” was restored and functions to this day. Although there were a lot of protests. Now the building hosts performances, concerts and children’s clubs. A memorial plaque and a monument to the “Victims of Terror” – a sculptural composition of three cranes – reminds of the terrorist attack.

On February 14, 2004, the roof collapsed at the Transvaal Park water park in the south of Moscow. After the incident, the owners of the building assured that it would be restored, but would not serve any entertainment function. According to investors, a family center with an emphasis on the rehabilitation of people with disabilities was to appear on the site of the destroyed water park. We can only guess what went wrong in the process. But now it’s a water park. Even his website begins with the word “water park.” Only the name was changed.

The Parisian Bataclan concert hall was also restored after the terrorist attack in 2015. A year after the tragedy, the establishment reopened its doors to spectators. The owners of the establishment did not abandon the entertainment component. British punk rock musician Pete Doherty was the first to perform at the Bataclan after the opening.

Whether the decision of the owners of Crocus City Hall is final or whether they will change it under public pressure, time will tell. Perhaps eventually a park, memorial or chapel will appear at the site of the tragedy. But this is not a fact. In the struggle between good and evil, “loot” may well win.