quote
follow
I haven't been writing much on politics lately but these events are happening in my own country, moreover, in the city where I live.
I'm going to tell you how I see the situation.
The protest has started as a peaceful gathering of proponents of the signing the association agreement with EU. That's why it was labeled "Euromaidan", "maidan" standing for the main square of the capital of Ukraine. It simply translates as "a square" but it has acquired a meaning of a square filled with protesters, a protesting square.
Anyway, just as the protest was slowly fading from exhaustion with government paying no attention whatsoever to tens of thousands of peaceful smiling people singing and dancing on the squares - came a violent police crackdown in the middle of the night. Unarmed people staying in tents on the Maidan Nezalezhnosti square were brutally attacked by the riot police, beaten, chased as they were trying to flee and beaten some more. Some of them found shelter in the church not far from the center.
Images and videos of unimaginable and unexpected special forces attack made a hell lot of people very angry. From that point on the protest seized to be 'pro-EU' and turned into 'anti-government'. The otherwise fading protest sparked with the new flame, fueled by anger and wish for justice. When journalists have been interviewing people on why they came on the streets, they were no longer saying 'because we want Ukraine in EU', they were saying 'we don't want to be treated like cattle, don't want our children to be beaten on the streets' (there were a lot of young people, students that night on the square).
So when some foreign analysts are talking about part of Ukraine fighting to be with the West and the other part wanting to stay with Russia, they're mistaken. It's true that Ukraine is geographically de-facto split on the issue of where the country should go, but nobody will stand in the streets under -20C frost for some stupid agreement. There is not enough 'fuel' in that incentive to motivate a 3-month protest. And the so called 'pro-Russian' eastern part of Ukraine actually never minded the course on EU, president Yanukovich, who was largely elected due to the votes from the east, himself proclaimed the European direction long before the protest started and nobody was protestin that in the east. Nobody in the east went on the streets to protest the planned signing of the agreement with EU. It seems that part simply will accept anything from the government. And if the government changes, they will accept wherever the new one is leading. That's my impression. The western part, however, has much more people, percentagewise, who want to influence government, make it accountable for their actions and not be oppressed by it, and they are willing (as it turned out) to defend their rights.
Anyway, what happens after this turning point with riot police brutality is the radicalization of the protest. The opposition leaders, who previously were cheered on the stage, started slowly losing support among the tired protesters.
On 2nd of December 2013 a group of protesters (some say they were actually provocateurs from the pro-government camp - who knows) started attacking the police guarding the Presidential Administration. They threw stons and fires at the police. Opposition leaders tried to talk those people into coming back to the main square but nothing worked. Until a few hours later riot police started attacking. You'd think 'they messed with a bull - they got a horn' but when you actually see how the supposed professionals lashed back you'll have to admit that was unacceptable. Again, brutality, unnecessary use of force. When a person is already lying on the ground and 3-5 special force officers are beating him savagely - how is that behavior better than lynching? Paramilitary is not supposed to be the judge and jury. Yet government refused to condemn and punish the perpetrators of the crimes again. A lot of journalists got hurt, and as they were saying, screaming that they were the press only made things worse.
Again, to all those who still think Ukrainians cared about EU question so much: you're wrong. Look up Maslow's hierarchy of needs. People here had bigger problems to worry about, the oppressive regime who kept sending the same message over and over: "shut up and go home or else". It was about safety in your own country, not the external vector any longer.
What happens on the 16th of December? Another clear message from the ruling party, this time on paper, voted and signed into laws. Among them:
Criminalizing "extremist activity", which according to TI Ukraine is defined in "broad and vague terms", with a hefty fine for a first offence and up to three years in jail for a repeat offence.
- Simplifying procedures for serving summons and filing administrative protocols;
- Allowing trial in absentia of individuals, including prison terms
- Gathering and disseminating information about the Berkut (riot police), judges, or their respective families carries a penalty of up to 2 years in jail;
- Anti-mask law with the provision of up to 15 days in jail for participation in peaceful gatherings wearing a mask, camouflage clothing, scarf, helmet, or other means of concealing or protecting one’s face or head; (before that, protesters started wearing helmets because riot police loved beating people on the head with their sticks)
- Riot police were freed from the prosecutions for their crimes
Suddenly, almost everything the peaceful protesters were doing got criminalized. The writing was on the wall: people in power will make no concessions, they intend to build another Belarus or Russia here.
This is where patience was completely lost.
That is what caused protesters to resort to molotov cocktails.
In the middle of clashes with riot police, more and more atrocities were surfacing fueling further outrage:
How long can they beat one and the same person lying on the ground? You can count for yourself:
Most have probably seen those apocalyptic images from the streets of Kiev. I'd never have expected to see this happening in my city because Ukrainians were even among themselves largely thought to be too peaceful, apathetic and individualistic folks to organize into any sort of violent resistance. But I guess you can piss of even this kind of people if you push hard enough for long enough. Did Ukrainians have any reasons to hate the system? They had every. If you talk to people on the street, everyone will tell you they hate the corrupt courts, greedy government officials who steal, 'very important people' and their family members who go unpunished no matter what crime they commit, police brutality etc, etc. There was plenty of anger building up for years.
So whoever is talking about what's happening as being paid off by some external players is mistaken. Of course, there are big players out there who would love things in Ukraine to go one way or the other, and no doubt they are trying to influence the development. But does that mean thousands of Ukrainans themselves have no reasons to protest and fight? Of course not. It is very natural to want to defend one's sense of dignity, human rights and liberties, security at last.
As of today there have been human lives lost. Blood shed in the center of a European capital by the snipers who were shooting unarmed groups of people in their necks and heads.
Russian media 'reports' that they were protesters themselves, dressed as special forces, shooting their own people. Doesn't matter that Ukraine's Ministry of Internal Affairs (police) admits to using snipershttps://www.facebook.com/mvs.gov.ua/posts/603758823044146
Snipers had no problem shooting medics either. Story about this young girl
It's hard to relay a 3-month long story in short, but I've tried to compress it as much as possible.
Today, opposition leaders have signed an agreement with the president. They never asked people on the street whether they aprove of it or not. Those whose passions have been burning at extreme levels, who risked their lives on the streets, wont necessarily accept those deals.
Unless the criminals are going to be arrested, I don't think euromaidan will go home regardless of any agreements signed by the 3 opposition leaders. They've lost most of the support from the protesters as of today. The deals with the government were awaited before, but they are too little too late after the deaths caused by the regime.
For instance, the head of police whose subordinates brutally beat and murdered people has been simply fired. People lost their loved ones forever and the punishment for this is somebody losing their job? I really don't think such measures will calm people down.
Just as I was writing this, my predictions came true: the protesterd shouted "shame on you" and whistled to the opposition leaders.
To be continued ... nobody knows how at this point :(
More posts from this category: NATO operation in Libya and media biasWhy do people still think college degree provides security?
brent mosher
|
21-02-2014
I was wondering when you'd write about this. This morning on CBC radio (Canada's government run somewhat liberal national radio network) there was a piece about the violence. There was mention that some of the front-line protesters appeared to be para-military types. Confusion over kidnapped police being held as hostage and whether that was a trumped up story the government might use as an excuse for a violent assault. All said, the piece painted none to clear a picture, and mostly served to confirm my impression that as a westerner, I'm probably justified in being somewhat skeptical about the news I'm given even by supposedly liberal sources.rnI've been in a couple of major demonstrations here in Canada. Unprovoked police violence, police kidnapping of key protesters, civic and police lies about the extent of their violence, trumped up evidence against protesters, violent repression of protest support groups, police infiltration of protest groups, and major media failure to report clear examples of police violence are all pretty routine. As are the subsequent laws criminalizing future protests. The only bright spot is that here in Canada there has been some minor prosecution of police crimes and public statements from the courts condemning police and civic abuses of power. the same the world over.rnSeems the same the world over. Whether outright autocracy (Russia) or democratic plutocracy (Canada and the USA), those in power will do anything to anyone who stands in their way. And there's always a pack of police thugs glad to swing a baton to help them do it. For those with the wealth and power, it's easy to see what they are clinging to. I'm left to wonder at these cops, though, and what lies they tell to convince themselves they are doing the right thing.
|
Irina |
22-02-2014
This is the disheartening part: these things are universal. Somewhere - less, somewhere - more widespread, less noticible - more obvious. I completely agree about "outright autocracy (Russia) or democratic plutocracy (Canada and the USA)". When you start digging just a bit deeper you see douchebags and criminals in power all around. And all these uprisings, revolts and wars - they're never that last 'war to end all wars', there's always a 'coma', it's what fills the history of humanity. Yet I do think sometimes violence is the only answer, sometimes peaceful ways either don't work or take longer than one's lifetime to pursue. That's just the brokenness of this world as a whole and of us as species. |
AdriГ GirbГ©s Ferrer
|
22-02-2014
Dear Uriupina
I would like to comment what you have said ["I do think sometimes violence is the only answer, sometimes peaceful ways either don't work or take longer than one's lifetime to pursue"]. I do not believe in violent ways nor in non violent ways of making any solution. I do not believe in solutions. That is what I call "political nihilism". There is no solutions but metamorphosing of the problems. Also, I would like you to rewrite one of the last paragrahs: "the protesterd shouted "shame on you" and whistling to the opposition leaders." I think it is not written accurately. From an efilist early reader of your stuff |
Irina |
22-02-2014
There is no solutions but metamorphosing of the problems. That is true. But if you make a distinction between bad and even worse problems then sometimes it makes sense to try and turn a huge problem into a smaller one. I knew about that line, was too tired to fix it yesterday. |
bernardo
|
23-02-2014
Have you pondered maybe just leaving ? And maybe live abroad ? I don't know. I've always thought of Ukraine as a really shitty country and since you can do your job from anywhere...
My country is shitty too but at least it is a relatively safe place to live for now... |
Irina |
23-02-2014
I have, long time ago... But I wouldn't do it by illegally immigrating, and the legal ways require some serious arrangements and patience so I was always reluctant to really consider this option. "My country is shitty too but at least it is a relatively safe place to live for now..." - my words exactly just a few months ago. Although it wasn't safe everywhere, there was always torture in police departments, for example. There was a danger of being robbed of your business or even a house. But there was no war, no terrorist attacks, no shootings in schools or elsewhere. |
brent mosher
|
23-02-2014
Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway...top of my list for best countries to live in socio/political wise. Climate...well...
|
Irina |
23-02-2014
I agree. But weather-wise, I'd ideally prefer something warmer... Or, if not, then at least a heated floor in the bathroom! |
Brian W.
|
24-02-2014
Hi Irina,
Thanks for the great analysis The first video of that poor guy getting pummeled on the ground was so hard to watch. I hope he survived, at least I must say I was impressed by how fast the protestors got Yanukovych to flee. Hopefully things will turn around for Ukraine. I think they will. |
Irina |
25-02-2014
The guy in the 3rd video didn't. Yeah, 3 months after, but that's only the beginning. I hope so too but so far things aren't too rosy. Crimea, Russia... Economy... ::sigh::
|
Srikant
|
25-02-2014
I was hoping to hear about this from you -- was thinking of asking you myself.
Thanks for this post. Keep safe and take care. How long do your governments last? |
Irina |
25-02-2014
I already wrote a second post on the topic, Governments last a few years but nobody seem to notice a big difference between them. People hope this revolution will be different from Orange one as this time people have been leading the events and pressured both government and opposition. Thanks, will try to keep safe and such)) |
BrianW.
|
01-03-2014
Now I'm reading that Russia is trying to invade Crimea. Oh boy- this is bad.
|
Irina |
01-03-2014
Yes. Seems like Putin sent security contractors there. F*king politicians and their games... |