- Title: UKRAINE: Pro-EU protesters continue to camp out in central Kiev
- Date: 9th December 2013
- Summary: SINGER ON STAGE PROTESTERS IN SQUARE
- Embargoed: 24th December 2013 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Ukraine
- Country: Ukraine
- Topics: International Relations,Politics
- Reuters ID: LVAA3FSODABUAKIGI1GV326X7U2E
- Story Text: Anti-government protesters continued to camp out on Kiev's Independence Square on Monday (December 9), keeping up pressure on President Viktor Yanukovich and his plans for closer ties with Russia.
The demonstrators have erected blockades to defend the central Independence Square - now transformed into a tent village, sustained by donations of food and clothing - from any police attempt to retake it. They are occupying key public buildings and on Sunday (December 8) erected blockades and tents on roads in the government district.
Despite the fact that the protest has rolled into its third week, demonstrators are displaying few signs of backing down and said they thought the time was ripe fight to get Ukraine closer to Europe.
"First of all, if we look at the history of independent Ukraine of 20 years we can see that there has been very little movement towards better conditions of living of people, no matter if governments change. Right now we see that this is the right moment as we have this chance from Europe. This is the right time to sign it, because we kind of doubt if we don't do it now, there is going to be a chance later," protester Kvitka said.
"Nothing has been done for the past 20 years and I doubt anything will change very quickly but it gives us an impetus for change," another protester, Maxim, added.
Anti-government protesters toppled a statue of Soviet state founder Vladimir Lenin in Ukraine's capital and attacked it with hammers on Sunday in a symbolic challenge to President Yanukovich and his plans for closer ties with Russia.
The gesture rejecting Moscow's historic influence over Ukraine came after opposition leaders told hundreds of thousands of demonstrators on Kiev's Independence Square to keep up pressure on Yanukovich to sack his government.
The protesters are furious that the government decided last month to ditch a landmark pact with the European Union in favour of closer economic cooperation with Moscow, Ukraine's Soviet-era overlord.
Yanukovich's sudden tack towards Russia has provoked the biggest street protests since the 2004-5 Orange Revolution, when people power forced a re-run of a fraud-tainted election and thwarted his first run for the presidency. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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