A pro-Ukrainian rally in Odessa turned
violent today when pro-Russian separatists began throwing stones at marchers.
These separatists themselves admit that this is part of their ‘tour’. They were ‘on tour’, meaning they were brought into Odesa
specifically for the goal of attacking the peaceful rally.
The clash continued in the Kulikovo field
and the Odessa trade union building was set on fire by arsonists. As a result
of the fire, 31 people were killed.
During the clashes, a further 4 people
were killed and 15 were injured according to the Ukrainian Interior Ministry.
However other reports claim 170 people are injured, and 43 have been killed.
What would you do? Would you sit at home
and watch your home and country be ripped apart by information wars,
fabrications spinning tales of fascists, terrorists, spies and Cold War plots?
Would you join a peaceful march in a city that has, thus far, avoided violence?
Would you walk with your neighbours, believing that you will be safe, surely,
because you are home—you know this street, you know this city, you are in your
country of citizenship, nationality and you may speak Russian, you may speak
Ukrainian, it doesn’t matter because you are home.
Now Odessa’s streets are bloody, like the
streets in Slovyansk, Sevastepol, Kharkiv, Kyiv.
A peaceful rally is being organised in
Kharkiv on Sunday 4th of May. We can be sure that the ‘touring’
gangs will be there as well. But what would you do? Stay at home and watch
Russian media channels? Wait for the next Presidential elections? Move away
(where to? you have no freedom of movement in the EU, your Ukrainian passport
and Russian/Ukrainian language will only get you so far...) Do you walk the
streets for peace? Break up the pavement and throw it at masked, armed, men on
a mission to annihilate opposition and Ukrainian speakers and citizens?
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