Our Ukraine used crack-sculls to harass BYUT rally in Lviv - Andry Shkil

September16200809:10

Political tolerance is what some Lviv residents seem to lack nowadays. There’s a special group of politically minded locals, primarily pensioners, who frequent the city’s central avenue to debate political goings-on. They were on the side of Our Ukraine Sept. 14, the day Our Ukraine and BYUT held their rallies in downtown. Given its low popularity, Our Ukraine used these people to harass BYUT’s rally - and drink some free beer, BYUT lawmaker Andry Shkil told ZIK Sept. 15.

Says A.Shkil, “Only crack-sculls were present at the rally in Lviv. Unfortunately, it is a routine feature in Ukraine’s nerve-ridden politics. Despite the accusations against Tymoshenko of high treason, it won’t help Our Ukraine to make it to Verkhovna Rada this time.

As to the audience, these people would boo a rally one day and hail it the other day. But a bunch of psychologically challenged people cannot distort the city’s overall European image.

“I’ve been through such booing in the course of my election campaigns, and do not care.”

Electricity cut-offs that happened during the rally are abominable. When OU lacks any other arguments, all it has left are booing and electricity cut-offs which kill their opponents’ mikes.”

When NUNS speakers took the floor, there was no booing and loud music, A. Shkil observed.

There was no chance the confrontation could have led to fistfights among BYUT and OU supporters, he said.

Comment by ZIK

About 3,000 Lviv residents assembled at the Svoboda Avenue on Sept. 14 where 2 separate political rallies were announced, some to support BYUT, some to support OU and others to watch scenes of harassment engineered by the Svoboda party. As soon as the first BYUT speaker, Ivan Denkevych, took the floor, he was muted by OU supporters who booed him and chanted “Down with traitors!” and ”Yushchenko-yes!” slogans. In response, I. Denkovych asked BYUT supporters to chant “Yulia – yes!” It led to pushing and elbowing among the audience during which a BYUT banner was broken, a ZIK correspondent reported from the scene.

Lawmaker Mykhailo Kosiv took the floor next, with Andry Shkil to follow. At this moment electricity was cut-off, disabling his mike.

The following day, Sept. 15, BYUT launched another rally at 15.00 in support of the democratic coalition. It was attended by BYUT VR lawmakers Ivan Denkovych, Andry Shkil, Stepan Kurpil and local oblast council deputies.

In a similar move, Our Ukraine announced its own rally to be held at 16.00 in support of Pres Yushchenko. This time, BYUT used loud music from its platform nearby to mute OU speakers.

The police placed cordons between BYUT and OU supporters.