UKRAINE: Lviv cafe supports protesting students, local factory lets workers protest in Kiev

Record ID: 341228

  • Title: UKRAINE: Lviv cafe supports protesting students, local factory lets workers protest in Kiev
  • Date: 3rd December 2013
  • Summary: LVIV, UKRAINE (DECEMBER 2, 2013) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF UNIVERSITY BUILDING EU FLAG ON FRONT OF BUILDING VARIOUS OF STUDENTS WITH UKRAINIAN FLAGS STANDING OUTSIDE UNIVERSITY STUDENT WITH UKRAINIAN FLAG PAINTED ON HIS FACE STATUE WITH EU FLAG DRAPED AROUND IT PEOPLE WALKING IN STREET EU FLAG ON BUILDING TWO WOMEN WALKING ON PAVEMENT WITH UKRAINIAN FLAGS DRAPED AROUND THEIR S
  • Embargoed: 18th December 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Ukraine
  • Country: Ukraine
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA9Y5M4KF3RD1W9JB8FCT2AJFGN
  • Story Text: Students protesting against the government of President Viktor Yanukovich in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv are given support from a local cafe. And a local factory organises for some of its workers to take part in the protests in Kiev, while others stay behind to keep production going.
    People in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv expressed their solidarity with the thousands of anti-government protesters in Kiev on Monday (December 2).
    Across the country people have been angered by President Viktor Yanukovich's decision to abandon an integration pact with the European Union last week and instead seek closer economic ties with Russia.
    The decision has stirred deep passions in a country where many people yearn to join the European mainstream and escape Moscow's orbit.
    While thousands of people have been gathered in the capital Kiev for 13 days, students in Lviv have also been marching through Ukraine's second city, known for its pro-European outlook.
    As temperatures begin to drop, one local cafe owner said she wanted to do her bit to help the protesters who spend much of their time outside in winter temperatures.

    "We decided to express our solidarity with the protesters by providing housing, tea and snacks for those people who are demonstrating to help them warm up because everyone is trying to reach a common goal so that we will be in Europe. We are trying to help with whatever we can," said Natalia Yarema-Semkulitsch, the head of the Cafe Communa in central Lviv.
    Both EU and Ukrainian flags were seen flying from windows, cars and shopfronts across Lviv.
    Anti-government demonstrators had called for a nationwide general strike to try and force Yanukovich out office.
    But the director of a local clothing factory said even though he supports the aims of the protesters, shutting down production would not be wise.

    "Our strike is organised with two purposes. First of all, our people have to be in Kiev. And second, to make strong heat on our authority. Just to stop production, this is not clever because this will kill all of our enterprises and we will have very big penalties from our customers from Europe," Yaroslav Ruschischin said.
    Therefore the Trottolla factory was helping to make it possible for some of its workers to travel to Kiev to add their voice to the protests, while others were staying behind to keep the business going.

    "That's why the cleverest thing is to send people who want to go, to leave, to Kiev, we organised for them transportation, we organised for them everything else, maybe feeding there, maybe staying there sometimes. All the rest who didn't want to go, they stay and work and we are trying to change them slowly to keep our deliveries in time."
    In Kiev, thousands of pro-EU protesters calling for the resignation of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich gathered outside parliament on Tuesday (December 3) with opposition leaders pressing for a vote of no-confidence in his government.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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