ISCI is a cross-disciplinary research centre working to further our understanding of state crime: organisational deviance violating human rights

State repression on the streets of Kyiv

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by Anna McKeever

December 1st was the day Ukrainians finally stood up. Hundreds of thousands of ordinary people took to the streets, leaving their comfy sofas and warm houses.  This was a response to the brutal attack against a small group of peaceful protestors that took place took place at 4:10 a.m on 30 November 2013 at Maidan, Kyiv’s central square. The peaceful protestors were arguing for signing EU Association Agreement and choosing a European direction for the Ukraine. Numbering no more than 300, and largely students, protestors were repeatedly attacked while sleeping in their tents by special police units, BERKUT. BERKUT beat everybody regardless of age or sex. Many ended up in hospital with major injuries. The “reason” these people were evicted was to make space for the installation of the Christmas tree at Maidan.

This brutal attack awakened Ukrainians. We finally realised that we cannot tolerate this anymore, we cannot tolerate wild violence against peaceful protesters, we cannot tolerate the police regime when police that are supposed to defend people are attacking us. Just to make it clear, we are no longer protesting only for the signing an Association Agreement with the EU, we stand now against the police state and our current political authorities that give such orders to police to literally destroy our people.

After what happened, on Saturday there was a massive information campaign in social networks and on TV calling on people to stand up particularly on Sunday at what was forecast to be, and turned out to be, a huge protest in the centre of Kyiv. Personally I did not believe that many people would turn up. I was shocked when I saw the number of people in the subway, trying to get to protests, holding Ukrainian flags. When we reached the centre I could not believe my eyes: people were everywhere and they were coming from many different directions. I could not believe Ukrainians had finally realised that our current authority’s actions are beyond the acceptable limit. It is beyond acceptable limits when people are beaten harshly by special police units. Those people came to the protests yesterday because they have faith in changing the current turmoil.

Despite the fact that many people do not want to see the presence of political flags, they still can be seen and the opposition is united. This is unusual and significant because normally in Ukraine supporters of any opposition party avoid association with other opposition parties. This time people are not standing up FOR a particular political force, as they did during the Orange revolution, this time the people are protesting AGAINST the current authorities and police violence. In addition, we are not only protesting for the European choice, we are on streets to end the police regime of our state.

Some experts estimate that the number of protesters in Kyiv reached the point somewhere between 500-700,000. Some say that the numbers were greater than during the Orange Revolution in 2004. I do not know the exact number but I can certainly confirm that people are coming, they are awakening and with everyday there will be more who are disappointed and ready to stand up for their rights, for the peaceful life of them and their children. The protests have spread throughout the western Ukraine – in Lviv more than 50,000 people were believed to go on streets. Other cities such as Ivano-Frankivsk and Ternopil gathered thousands more today. There are also some smaller protests in the Eastern regions where the protestors proclaimed their support for president’s impeachment.

Compared to the peaceful manifestations that took place in Kyiv centre today, there was violence near the president’s administration building on Bankova street, where more militant protesters were trying to break through the BERKUT lined up to protect the building. However, the attempt was unsuccessful and the push violently quelled. The group of protesters threw Molotov cocktails and “received” in response grenades and tear gas. Despite these radical acts, the protesters that were gathered in the centre at Maidan, remained peaceful.

The President has remained silent about Sunday’s protests, but there is a chance that a state of emergency will be introduced in Kyiv or in Ukraine. There are also rumours that tanks are mobilizing close to Kyiv. This information is not yet confirmed.  But there is a possibility that the situation will have a violent turn and we will have our very own Tiananmen Square.

I do not know which direction the situation will take tomorrow because everything is changing rapidly. I just really hope that the protests will not go beyond the peaceful line and that the 2013 protests will be a turning point in Ukrainian history. A turning point in terms of European but primarily human values.