Protests in Kiev have reached boiling point after almost two months of civil demonstrations resulted in no solution to the political crisis currently gripping the Ukraine. Hoards of pro-EU revelers are currently amidst a violent clash with state enforcers in defiance of new laws prohibiting public protests. The harsh new legislation serves as a final straw for much of the greater public, most of whom were already weary of the instability within the Ukrainian nation.
Labeled the Euromaidan, rioters were attempting to break through police cordons and gain access to parliament headquarters. Many of the protesters wore gas masks while wielding sticks, chains and other weapons in a bid to pain authority. Grenades, fire extinguishers and flares were also used to fend off outnumbered enforcers, who were caught on video (below) retreating toward safety. In retaliation, tear gas and flash grenades were lobbed into the center of the violence, serving as a minor deterrence to the relentless mob. As it stands, more than 100 protesters have been injured, with 42 hospitalised and a comparative number of police hurt. There have been over 20 arrests.
The city, now littered with cobblestones and rubber bullets used by police, is paralysed by the violence. The prosecutor general, Viktor Pshonka, has released a video condemning the opposition, stating they are the cause of the violence. “The things that we see today are the direct result of two months of rhetoric from irresponsible politicians, and their populist promises that crimes will not be punished,” he stated, further explaining, “This is not just hooliganism. This is a crime against the state.”
Since December of 2013, the Ukraine has been on the brink of anarchy and revolution, fueled by the resignation of pro-Russian authoritarian president Viktor Yanukovych. With no end in sight, the happenings of the past two days read more like an action movie than modern day truth. Just yesterday, extremists hid behind burnt-out police buses and threw Molotov cocktails at police headquarters and took one member of authority hostage. The main protest camp, located in Independence Square, is festering the mentality that violence is the only solution to a problem that has been ignored for far too long.
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Written by Sammy Attwood, the founder of Your Friend’s House. He can’t use Twitter, enjoys brunch and occasionally posts things on his Instagram account.
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