UPDATE 2-Ukrainian opposition accuses Yanukovich of stealing EU dream


(Adds details of violence)

By Thomas Grove and Pavel Polityuk

KYIV Nov 29 (Reuters) – Ukraine’s political opposition said
on Friday that President Viktor Yanukovich had ‘stolen the
dream’ of closer integration with Europe as his supporters
hailed his decision to spurn a European Union free trade deal.

In a sea of blue and gold, the colours of both the EU and
Ukrainian flags, some 10,000 protesters chanted “Ukraine is
Europe” in Independence Square, the theatre of the Orange
Revolution of 2004-5 that thwarted Yanukovich’s first
presidential bid.

“Today they stole our dream, our dream of living in a normal
country,” said heavyweight boxing champion Vitaly Klitschko, a
contender for the 2015 presidential election.

“The failure to sign the agreement of association is
treason,” he told the roaring crowd.

In a brief episode of violence late in the evening, at least
four people were beaten by police, including a Reuters cameraman
and a Reuters photographer, who was bloodied by blows over the
head from police.

The scuffle occurred as police tried to remove passersby
near Independence Square to try to clear a pro-EU demonstrator’s
vehicle from the road. Protesters instead crowded around the
vehicle.

Yanukovich’s decision to suspend a deal that would have
aligned Ukraine’s economy more closely with Europe’s by opening
borders to goods, and set the stage for an easing of travel
restrictions, was for many an opportunity lost.

“Europe was the way out of the mess we’re in, the way out of
the corruption that has overwhelmed our country,” said Andrey
Dobrolet, 41, a lawyer.

“But now we see the real colours of the people in power,” he
said, after an announcement that Yanukovich was leaving a summit
in Vilnius without the free trade agreement that had been months
in negotiation.

Some wiped away tears on Friday, huddling around oil barrels
where wood, window frames and crates were being burned to keep
protesters warm.

“I expected this, but the people will continue to fight and
tensions will continue,” said Sergei Bandar, 61, a pensioner.

As pro-EU protesters sang Ukraine’s national anthem, the
slow melody was interrupted by a rival rally on another square
some 200 metres away, where people cheered Yanukovich and his
decision to strengthen ties with Russia.

YANUKOVICH LOYALISTS

Here, on European Square, some 3,000-4,000 people, many of
them bussed in from Yanukovich strongholds in the
Russian-speaking east of Ukraine, gathered near a hastily
constructed stage, where singers sang popular songs and speakers
warned of the dangers of European integration.

“If we had signed, we would have opened our borders and
killed our own manufacturers,” said Anatoliy Bliznyuk, a
parliamentarian from Yanukovich’s Regions Party.

The two rallies reflected the linguistic and cultural split
between the Ukrainian-speaking west, where support for the EU
had been strong, and the predominantly Russian-speaking eastern
Ukraine, from which Yanukovich himself hails.

The stage-managed look of the meeting led to accusations
that the attendees had been paid to show up, a practice not
uncommon in Ukraine, where the average monthly salary is around
$400. No one was willing to speak to a Reuters journalist.

“No one can tell us what to do. We will build our own Europe
in Ukraine. Are we worse than Europe?” Artyom Silchenko, a
student, told a state television channel.

Earlier in the day, local media said five journalists had
been beaten up by ‘sportsmen’, code for thugs enforcing the
government’s will on the street.

Yanukovich denies using any such tactics.

Some on Independence Square took heart from the fact that
Yanukovich said he was only suspending plans to sign the trade
deal, not cancelling them altogether.

“I’m an optimist, we are located right next to Europe, and
we have elections in two years’ time,” said Roman Dashchaksky,
27. “Sooner or later, integration is inevitable.”

(Reporting by Thomas Grove; Editing by Kevin Liffey and
Christopher Wilson)