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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/26/shawarmageddon-moscow-authorities-threaten-to-ban-kebabs
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| Shawarmageddon: Moscow authorities threaten to ban kebabs | Shawarmageddon: Moscow authorities threaten to ban kebabs |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Authorities in Moscow have threatened to finally outlaw the city’s beloved shawarma kebabs, claiming that the stalls that sell them have repeatedly failed to comply with sanitation standards. | Authorities in Moscow have threatened to finally outlaw the city’s beloved shawarma kebabs, claiming that the stalls that sell them have repeatedly failed to comply with sanitation standards. |
| “We are ridding the streets of all shawarma. It’s going to disappear completely,” city official Alexey Nemeryuk told Russian radio station Komsomolskaya Pravda. | |
| The head of the Moscow department of trade and services added that kiosk owners had refused “to bear even the slightest costs of maintaining proper sanitation standards”. | The head of the Moscow department of trade and services added that kiosk owners had refused “to bear even the slightest costs of maintaining proper sanitation standards”. |
| Nemeryuk later told TV Rain that his comments had been misinterpreted and that he wasn’t calling for a ban on all stalls, just one in particular. | |
| But the comments have outraged Muscovites who, distraught at the thought of loosing their favourite meaty snack, have taken to Twitter in protest using the hashtag #ShaurmaZhivi – which can be translated as “long live shawarma” or “shawarma will survive”. | |
| Shawarma-geddon continues in Moscow as city official vows to rid city of the tasty Lebanese street food. pic.twitter.com/iN11aoO2Yn | Shawarma-geddon continues in Moscow as city official vows to rid city of the tasty Lebanese street food. pic.twitter.com/iN11aoO2Yn |
| Some compared the motives of Moscow’s mayor Sergei Sobyanin to Ivan the Terrible, who infamously killed his son. | Some compared the motives of Moscow’s mayor Sergei Sobyanin to Ivan the Terrible, who infamously killed his son. |
| Собянин убивает шаурму, 2016 г. pic.twitter.com/AhNKtTUxFM | Собянин убивает шаурму, 2016 г. pic.twitter.com/AhNKtTUxFM |
| Some called for a shawarma exodus to St Petersburg, or Minsk in Belarus. Others joked about they would hide their meat from the police. | Some called for a shawarma exodus to St Petersburg, or Minsk in Belarus. Others joked about they would hide their meat from the police. |
| One account refused to believe the threats, joking that it was more likely that opposition politician Alexei Navalny became mayor than the kebab shops disappeared for good. | One account refused to believe the threats, joking that it was more likely that opposition politician Alexei Navalny became mayor than the kebab shops disappeared for good. |
| Another wasn’t taking any chances and posted a photo of his now endangered lunch. | Another wasn’t taking any chances and posted a photo of his now endangered lunch. |
| Напоследок, ба pic.twitter.com/stf1xubk05 | Напоследок, ба pic.twitter.com/stf1xubk05 |
| One user put their faith in Iron Man to save the day: | One user put their faith in Iron Man to save the day: |
| .@blueberry_tree @dedmorozlab железный человек спешит на помощь pic.twitter.com/epAyu6F77K | .@blueberry_tree @dedmorozlab железный человек спешит на помощь pic.twitter.com/epAyu6F77K |
| City officials have repeatedly tried to stop kiosks in Moscow selling kebabs. | |
| In 2006, the authorities instituted new health and safety regulations, and a year later inspectors vowed to put a stop the sale of shawarma all together. | In 2006, the authorities instituted new health and safety regulations, and a year later inspectors vowed to put a stop the sale of shawarma all together. |
| Related: ‘They tore it all down': how Moscow destroyed my business overnight | Related: ‘They tore it all down': how Moscow destroyed my business overnight |
| In 2010 Sobyanin, then the city’s new mayor, ordered the demolition of kiosks in a bid to rid the Moscow of “illegal” structures and “bring order to city planning”. | In 2010 Sobyanin, then the city’s new mayor, ordered the demolition of kiosks in a bid to rid the Moscow of “illegal” structures and “bring order to city planning”. |
| Not stopping at shawarma, Nemeryuk also warned that street kiosks selling ice cream could soon disappear. | Not stopping at shawarma, Nemeryuk also warned that street kiosks selling ice cream could soon disappear. |