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PRO-WEST UKRANIANS have staged the biggest protest rally in Kiev since the 2004 Orange Revolution, demanding that the government sign a key pact with the European Union and clashing with police.
Hundreds of protesters attempted to storm the government building — after the main rally attracted tens of thousands in central Kiev — but police forced them back with batons and tear gas, an AFP correspondent said.
The opposition called the rally after President Viktor Yanukovych’s government reversed a plan to sign a historic deal deepening ties with the EU, in a U-turn critics said was forced by the Kremlin.
Police said that some 23,000 people turned out but the opposition said attendance met its target of 100,000 people. The centre of Kiev was covered in a sea of protesters waving EU and Ukrainian flags.
[Sergei Chuzavkov/AP/Press Association Images]
The rally was by far the biggest in Kiev since the Orange Revolution nine years ago, which resulted in the annulment of presidential election results initially claimed by Yanukovych.
A hard core of protesters proceeded after the rally to the government building and tried to break through the police ranks, with some throwing stones while police held them back, an AFP correspondent at the scene said.
Some opposition leaders attempted to calm down the protesters to no apparent avail, as people used the sticks from their protest signs against policemen and shouted “Revolution!”.
Police held them back with batons and used tear gas and sound grenades.
[Efrem Lukatsky/AP/Press Association Images]
Another large group of protesters assembled near the building of the presidential administration and a smoke bomb was thrown, reports said.
But police did not make arrests or attempt to disband the rally, only standing guard at government building entrances.
‘We are not the USSR’
Protesters earlier assembled at the central Square of Europe for a peaceful rally protesting the government’s decision to scrap the signing of the landmark EU Association Agreement at a summit in Vilnius this week.
Some held posters saying “We are not the Soviet Union, we are the European Union” and “I Love EU”. The crowd also chanted calls for unseating Yanukovych and releasing ex-premier Yulia Tymoshenko from jail.
The Kremlin, which wants Ukraine to join a Russia-led Customs Union, had threatened trade retaliation if Ukraine signed the deal. Yanukovych made a trip to Moscow earlier this month for secret talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
[Efrem Lukatsky/AP/Press Association Images]
Tymoshenko, still a symbolic leader for the opposition, published a statement today urging people to stay on central squares until the summit in five days and “force Yanukovych to change his humiliating decision and sign… the agreement.”
The rally, which lasted two hours, demanded that Yanukovych disband his government, free Tymoshenko, and take the path to European integration.
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€3m is nothing, you couldn’t even pay off the Sligo county manager with that.
I wouldn’t say no to it ;)
So let me get this straight, banks are lending to agriculture and property development, one sector that is inherently inefficient and can get pretty much all of the grants by stamping their foot m, the other landed us in a mahoosive mess, with loans still outstanding to the tune of billions.
Banks aren’t lending to R+D – the one area we know we can do quite well in, because we’re already doing quite well in it.
People still wonder how a) we got into this mess, and b) we are still in it. This country is amazing.
A. Maze. Ing.
I agree that is a bad figure but the reality is Ireland has never been great at R & D. I don’t know where R&D money comes from elsewhere but it is a very risky low return business and I doubt bank loans are the way to go.
Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Check out the story of stripe, and ask yourself why they had to move to the US.
I am co-founder of a hi-tech SME. We’ve raised almost €1m from VCs and have contracts of approx €1m with some of the world’s biggest companies ( all exports). The lowest qualification in the company is an M.Sc. We were refused company credit cards until our CEO gave personal guarantees and we now have limits on the cc’s of €140. That’s the banks in Ireland. But glad 2 hear the property developers can get cash. That’s a lovely stable industry.
And people wonder why my company does ALL its banking and lending outside the republic!
Insanity is repeating the same thing over and over and expecting different results. It’s evident that the banks are hoping for a return to the anomaly that was the property bubble.Try again, it’s not going to happen
3 Mil? How much did “Fingers” walk with ? Remind me again ?
The minister for small firms has small pockets.
Of course, those are the traditional “safe as houses” sectors of the Irish economy. Just think about the qualifications for being a banker in Ireland – have you ever seen such a shower of smug gits?
This blog makes me realize the energy of words and pictures. As always your things are just gorgeous and I am grateful that you let us look in! Keep coming up with ideas.
Small Business Loan
We are a sme with a patent product that we are Bringing to the Irish market .We have been refused credit from the banks as they need personal guarantees so we told them that we have no problem signing personal but we have no assets they still would not give us credit .We went to dublin city enterprises board and got approved for the 10 thousand euro feasibility grant we spent 24 thousand euro and now they have told us we are only getting 5650 euro as we did not employ an out side company to do our market research what a joke spend 24.000 and get 5650 . There is no help for sme in this country it’s a big joke !!!!
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