- Title: UKRAINE: Tens on thousands gather in Kiev to protest
- Date: 29th December 2013
- Summary: PLEASE NOTE: GRAPHIC LANGUAGE USED IN SOUNDBITE AT SHOT 8 KIEV, UKRAINE (DECEMBER 29, 2013) (REUTERS) PEOPLE ON INDEPENDENCE SQUARE PEOPLE WITH FLAGS UNDER THE CHRISTMAS TREE DECORATED WITH YULIA TYMOSHENKO'S PORTRAIT PROTESTERS AND TENT IN FRONT OF STAGE (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) OPPOSITION LEADER AND HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING CHAMPION VITALY KLITSCHKO SAYING: "We will win because this energy, this power, which exists today in the whole of Ukraine will win. Because each one of us is fighting for truth, for justice. For those things that are obvious for any Ukrainian." PEOPLE LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) OPPOSITION LEADER AND HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING CHAMPION VITALY KLITSCHKO SAYING: "Not for money, not for any kind of privileges. We are staying today on Maidan (Independence square) for ourselves, for our families, for our future." PEOPLE LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) OPPOSITION LEADER ARSENIY YATSENYUK SAYING: "We called our today's rally "Solidarity against terror", against the terror which was started by the authorities when they attacked Tetyana Chornovil, when these bastards had outrageously beaten her. Against terror when Euro-Maidan activists are prosecuted and intimidated by political machine, against terror towards any family whose child is scared to go to school." PEOPLE LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) OPPOSITION LEADER OLEH TYAHNBOK SAYING: "The voice of our today's rally is solidarity against terror. You can't make us kneel, you can't humiliate us. We are Ukrainians! We will win! Glory to Ukraine! Glory to Ukraine! Glory to Ukraine!" PEOPLE SHOUTING "GLORY TO HEROES" TELEVISION TRUCK ON SQUARE WITH PROTESTERS PEOPEL CHANTING "GANG, OUT!"
- Embargoed: 13th January 2014 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Ukraine
- Country: Ukraine
- Topics: Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA2FYH4GWIPX805P9WX4SIPFUN0
- Story Text: Tens of thousands of opposition activists gather in the centre of Kiev to protest against what they call "terror of the power" after a prominent opposition journalist was badly beaten on Tuesday.
Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters gathered on Kiev's Independence square on Sunday (December 29) to express their outrage at the attack on the opposition activist and journalist Tetyana Chornovil.
Chornovil, 34, was chased down by car and beaten shortly after midnight on Wednesday, hours after posting pictures on her blog of a country home she said belonged to Interior Minister Vitaly Zakharchenko.
The attack threatened to breathe new life into more than a month of opposition protests in the capital, Kiev, over a decision by the government in November to spurn a landmark pact on closer ties with the European Union and turn instead to former Soviet master Moscow.
"We will win because this energy, this power, which exists today in the whole of Ukraine will win. Because each one of us is fighting for truth, for justice. For those things that are obvious for any Ukrainian," said Ukraine's opposition leader and heavy-weight boxing champion Vitaly Klitschko addressing the protesters.
"Not for money, not for any kind of privileges. We are staying today on Maidan (Independence square) for ourselves, for our families, for our future," Klitschko added.
The Ukrainian capital Kiev has been gripped by street protests since late November when President Viktor Yanukovich's government refused to sign an association agreement with the European Union.
"We called our today's rally "Solidarity against terror", against the terror which was started by the authorities when they attacked Tetyana Chornovil, when these bastards had outrageously beaten her. Against terror when Euro-Maidan activists are prosecuted and intimidated by political machine, against terror towards any family whose child is scared to go to school," said another protest leader Arseniy Yatsenyuk addressing the crowd from stage.
As the protesters in central Kiev have been listening to speeches of their leaders, over several thousand activists in cars drove towards Ukraine's President Viktor Yanukovich residence outside Kiev.
Although the number of protesters is declining, Sunday's turnout was visibly lower than last week when an estimated 100,000 rallied, political analysts say the growing frustration among those who remain creates a risk of violent clashes. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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