Hundreds rally in support of Ukraine protesters
EDMONTON – Ukrainian flags waved in Churchill Square amid shouts of “shameâ€� as about 250 people gathered to condemn the use of violence against peaceful protesters in Ukraine and support their efforts to forge closer ties with the European Union.
“We thank the government of Canada for their strong condemnation of the actions by the government of Ukraine and their call for the Ukrainian government to respect and indeed, protect the right of its citizens to express their opinions freely,� said Olesia Luciw-Andryjowycz, Alberta president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress.
This is the second consecutive Sunday members of the more-than-80,000-strong Ukrainian community in Edmonton have gathered in a show of support for those in Ukraine protesting president Viktor Yanukovych’s refusal to sign an agreement that would ally the country more closely with the EU, establishing free trade and political co-operation but stopping short of membership. Instead, he is moving toward closer ties with Russia.
Luciw-Andryjowycz said she had been in contact Sunday with people in Kyiv who reported hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians had arrived in the capital from all regions to “to show the government that they are, in fact, standing in unity,� she said.
Already, some members of the Ukrainian parliament from the governing Party of Regions have resigned in protest, she added.
Alberta deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk also spoke to the crowd Sunday, recalling his time in Kyiv in December, 2004, “watching as an outsider the Orange Revolution, and then I thought to myself that never again should there be a time in Ukraine that protests would have to be sparked in favour of democracy, but unfortunately that wasn’t so.�
The Orange Revolution refers to a series of protests against alleged corruption during the 2004 election in Ukraine, resulting in a second election held under the scrutiny of international observers.
Lukaszuk said Canada was one of the first countries to recognize the independence of Ukraine. “But recognizing the independence of Ukraine is not enough,� he told the crowd. “Maintaining the independence and self-determination of Ukraine is what we have to support.�
The rally in Edmonton was one of many held Sunday in cities across Canada and around the world.
There are more than 300,000 people of Ukrainian descent in Alberta, Luciw-Andryjowycz.
“It’s hitting everybody pretty hard. It’s hitting the non-Ukrainians too because this is indeed a slap in the face to humanity and human rights.�
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