In Berlin Germans, Ukrainians, and Russians held posters with slogans “Stop far right violence against student activists in Ukraine!” , “Ukraine ist bunt und nicht braun!” (“Ukraine is diverse and not brown!”), and others on the streets of the city. Some activists who knew Pavlo Myronov in person worried about him and were asking whether he was doing well and hoped that he would get better soon.
In Munich Ukrainian and German antifascists also protested against the far right violence in Ukraine and expressed their solidarity with student union “Direct Action” whose members turned out to be the main targets of far right street terror. The protesters denounced the President of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, pre-election strategy that aims to transform far right party Svoboda into the main opponent. Such strategy establishes the conditions necessary to tolerating far right violence and spreading fascist ideology. Nobody from the Consulate employees went out to the protesters.
People of Warsaw hanged in the city centre banners denouncing the case of Ukrainian activist Pavlo Myronov being beaten. Warsaw activists draw the parallels between far right violence in Ukraine and Greece, where a left wing activist Pavlos Fussas was killed by Nazis from “Golden Dawn” party.
Despite having their own struggles and protests after the activist was killed, activists from Istanbul also expressed their solidarity. Members of a student organization “Student Collectives”, as well as other activists, held banners against Nazi violence in Ukraine.
One day before, September 18, numerous students of Central-European University also expressed their solidarity by holding posters with a slogan “Stop far right violence in Ukraine”.
The protesters from different parts of Europe united in solidarity against the systematic Nazi terror from far right paramilitary groups connected with Svoboda party. The direct cause of the protests was the last attack that took place on 11 September when a member of the student union “Direct Action” Pavlo Myronov was attacked by three neo-Nazi with their faces covered. The attack happened in a public place in the city centre, near Zoloti Vorota metro station. Pavlo was taken to the hospital and diagnosed with brain concussion and partial memory loss. He was not robbed. A person witnessed the attack told that one of the instigators was video recording the attack. It is pretty obvious that the main motif of the attack was Pavlo’s civil activism. This was the second attack in less than a month. On 22 August another activist, Bohdan Biletsky, was attacked by two neo-Nazi with faces covered. The attackers shouted “shavka” (far right slang word to denote a left wing activist) before they started beating him. Bohdan was also taken to the hospital. He had a tooth knocked out, brain concussion and other traumas. The activists have been facing the attacks about once in a month.
International campaign “Stop far right violence in Ukraine!” was launched September 11, after the last attack took place. Human rights and trade union activists, student unions and different left organizations have already joined it. The campaign aims to draw international attention to the problem of rising far right violence in Ukraine. The campaign participants promise to put pressure on Ukrainian government and European institutions in order to draw attention to the rise of far right violence in Ukraine.
Independent Student Union “Direct Action”
Pictures from the protests:
Budapest
Berlin
Istanbul
Central-European University
Warsaw
Munich
Contacts:
Kiev:
+380 50 191 2218, [email protected] — Іryna Kogut
+380 93 031 2128, [email protected] — Bohdan Biletsky
Budapest:
+36 70 534 2847, +380 93 418 0264, [email protected] — Roksolana Mashkova
+36702690709, [email protected] — Dafna Rachok
Berlin:
[email protected] — Oleksandra Bienert
Munich:
[email protected] — Kyrylo Tkachenko
Warsaw:
+380 63 953 5143, [email protected] — Natalia Neshevets
Istanbul:
https://www.facebook.com/kamil.ziyade — Kamil Ziyade