Mongolians protest as monument to Beatles comes under threat

ULAANBAATAR: A statue of the Beatles in Mongolia’s capital Ulaanbaatar could be at risk amid an alleged land grab, protesters say, as rapid development turns a city once famed for wide open spaces into a cluttered metropolis.

Residents are protesting against plans to build commercial properties in an area known as Beatles Square, where a bronze bas-relief monument to the “Fab Four” commemorates the former Soviet satellite’s transition to democracy in 1990.

“For a long time there were stories about construction on the land, but nobody wanted to believe it,” said Tsoggerel Uyanga, a community organiser.

The monument, erected in 2008 with donations from politicians, businessmen and artists, marks the site where Mongolians gathered to talk about banned Western pop music and soon became a quirky tourist attraction.

The music of the Beatles, Abba, and other Western pop groups helped launch the “Rock and Roll Communist Revolution” that inspired a generation to fight for Mongolian democracy thirty years ago.

The protests began after an August 2 announcement that construction work would start, with residents calling the project a “land grab” and expressing fears the Beatles statue could be moved or even demolished.

Authorities have defended the development as part of a “car-free street” project to build an underground shopping complex complete with street gardens.

Meanwhile, a lawyer for Mongolia’s National Construction Association said there were no plans to remove the Beatles statue. “By implementing the project, there are a great deal of advantages, such as increasing jobs and reducing traffic congestion,” said D Uuganbayar, the lawyer.