Verkhovna Rada Tent Camp Destroyed as Kyiv Protest Tensions Rise

Protesters camp near Verkhovna Rada destroyed by security forces of the National Guard of Ukraine and the National Police.

Saturday morning, March 3, 2018, security forces of the National Guard of Ukraine and the National Police stormed a peaceful tent camp situated in a close proximity to Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. The attack took place in a defiant violation of Ukraine’s laws and basic human rights: the assaulting troops of the governmental agencies used excessive force and humiliating tactics toward the peaceful protestors.

During the assault, the National Guard and the police resorted to active hostilities: two people had to be sent to a hospital with fractured skulls.

Other protestors, mostly the veterans of the war with Moscow who volunteered to the front and stopped Russian’s invasion in 2014-2015, were beaten, humiliated, put on their knees, and kept in the snow to freeze.

The assault of the tent camp began at about 8 am. “Tent camp on Grushevskogo Street was destroyed by special ops forces. Several hundred-strong unit attacked the camp from three directions at once. There were dozens of defenses. Because of the frosts harsh weather conditions in the past few days, many of our activists who lived in tents were sick and we sent them home. Almost all of those who were today on Hrushevsky Street were detained. “We are going to visit the Pechersky Police Precinct”, wrote Member of Parlament Yegor Sobolev on his Facebook page.

As of 10 am, 71 protesters were still kept detained at the Pechersky Police Precinct.

EMPR

Video source: vistochka.