1 December 2013 Euromaidan riots
A series of riots occurred in several locations of downtown Kyiv, Ukraine, on 1 December 2013 in response to a police crackdown on Euromaidan's protesters and journalist on the night of 30 November. The day saw the highest numbers of journalists injured by police in a single event since Ukraine's independence regain in 1991. Also, 1 December became the first instance of a public building being occupied by protesters in modern history of the country.
30 November attack on protesters
30 November Berkut assault on Maidan | |||
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Part of the Euromaidan | |||
Date | 30 November 2013 | ||
Location | Independence Square, Kyiv, Ukraine | ||
Caused by | Euromaidan | ||
Goals | Resignation of Yanukovych
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Methods | Rioting, assault, civil disobedience | ||
Status | Finished | ||
Parties | |||
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Lead figures | |||
Not identified | |||
Number | |||
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Casualties and losses | |||
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On the night of 30 November 2013 at 04:00, armed with
In an official statement, Ukrainian Deputy Prosecutor General Anatoliy Pryshko confirmed that 79 people were injured during the raid, including 6 students, 4 reporters, and 2 foreigners; 10 people were hospitalized. In addition, 7 policemen were also injured.[8]
On 30 November 2013 by 13:00 another spontaneous meeting was taking place at St. Michael's Square near the St. Michael's Monastery as Maidan Nezalezhnosti continued to be guarded by the Berkut formations.
On 30 November opposition parties
1 December riots
2013 Bankova Street riots | ||||
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Part of the Euromaidan | ||||
Date | 1 December 2013 | |||
Location | Bankova Street, Kyiv, Ukraine | |||
Caused by |
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Goals |
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Parties | ||||
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Lead figures | ||||
Casualties and losses | ||||
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On 1 December, Kyiv's District Administrative Court banned further protests in downtown Kyiv at both Maidan Nezalezhnosti and European Square, as well as in front of the Presidential Administration and Interior Ministry buildings, until 7 January 2014.
At around 14:00, a group of protesters commandeered a bulldozer (LongGong CDM 833)
Radio
The Ukrainian Interior Ministry reported that more than 300 members of the radical Bratstvo (Brotherhood) organization were involved in unlawful actions committed outside the Presidential Administration building, who acted under the direction of its leader, Dmytro Korchynsky.[35]
The opposition occupied the Kyiv City Council (City Hall) and the Trade Unions' Building. They still remain under control of the protesters.[36] At the city council building, protesters broke windows to get inside the building and occupy it. They chanted "Kyiv is ours" and hung a Ukrainian flag in a window.[22] The city police warned the protesters in City Hall that they will "undertake measures" to clear the building if they do not leave it, without specifying. "The capital's police warns that in case of non-compliance with the lawful demands, the law enforcers will undertake corresponding measures to free the building from violators of law."[34]
Secretary of the
The official websites of Ukraine's presidential administration and interior ministry that controls more than 300,000 law enforcement personnel had been down for most of the day. Local media reports claim that hackers are the cause, although no group has taken responsibility for it.[34]
At 20:00, an angry mob of thousands attacked Berkut riot units who were guarding the statue of Vladimir Lenin.[34] The crowd attacked with rocks, ladders, and other objects, while troops responded by deploying tear gas and making random attacks at the crowd. At least one Berkut member was heavily injured and the troops were forced to flee on a bus once overtaken by the crowd.[38]
The opposition announced a national strike and launched construction of a tent city on Maidan Nezalezhnosti. Writer Irena Karpa also encouraged the nation to go on general strike – to skip work, boycott Russian products and continue the protests.[34] Opposition leaders stated that Yanukovych is planning on declaring a state of emergency on 2 December.[34] Klitschko denounced the attempt to storm the president's office as an effort to provoke the government into declaring a state of emergency. He called for everyone to stay on the square in a peaceful protest.[39] He later called for the president's resignation, stating "They stole the dream. If this government does not want to fulfill the will of the people, then there will be no such government, there will be no such president. There will be a new government and a new president," he said to cheering crowds.[40] Meanwhile, Svoboda leader Oleh Tyahnybok called for a national strike and in an official release called for a "social and national revolution," saying a revolution has started in Ukraine.[41] Opposition leader Yuriy Lutsenko also called for a revolution to take place, saying "Our plan is clear: this is not a rally, not an action. This – is a revolution," and called to complete the revolutions which took place in 1991 and 2004.[42]
Injuries
Five riot police sustained bodily injuries and three have been chemically poisoned from an unknown gas, Ukrainska Pravda reports.[citation needed] As of 4 p.m. 22 people had been injured and sought medical attention in emergency rooms in clashes during the demonstrations in Kyiv, according to the health department of the Kyiv City State Administration. In most cases, those injured were treated for chemical burns of the eyes and bodily injuries, according to Interfax-Ukraine. Kyiv police spokeswoman Olha Bilyk said by telephone that around 100 officers were wounded in the clashes. A mayor's office official said nearly 50 demonstrators had also been treated by doctors for various injuries.[43] Kyiv Post reported on eyewitness accounts of the demonstrations that suggest that there might have been hundreds of protesters injured.[44] According to the Department of Health, by the end of the second day of clashes, 109 protesters were hospitalized with 165 injured in total.[45]
Telekrytyka, a media watchdog compiled a list of over 40 injured journalists and photographers, with many report said they were deliberately beaten by the riot police while displaying their journalist IDs.
Main hotspots and targets of unrest
The most violent and widely reported riots of the day occurred at the following places:
- on the Bankova Street (Lypky government quarter neighborhood) where rioters attacked the police cordons protecting the building of the President Administration
- on the Khreshchatyk Street where protesters stormed and occupied the Kyiv City Councilbuilding (also known as City Hall)
- on the toppling the monument to Lenin, attacking and chasing away the police
See also
- Fall of the monument to Lenin in Kyiv
- Dmytro Korchynskyy
- Tetiana Chornovol
External links
- Kyiv’s riot police brutal, ‘begrudging’ by Kyiv Post, 5 Dec 2013
References
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Today has seen huge demonstrations – likely well over the 100,000 that are reported to have attended last Sunday's demonstrations, and with some estimating well over 300,000.
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[S]eventy per cent of the protestors had turned out in response to the beatings.
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