Apr 10, 2015

Odessa to Poroshenko: Fascism will not pass! Murderer!

Hundreds of angry protesters shouted “Fascism will not pass!” and “Murderer!” during Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko’s visit to the Black Sea port city of Odessa, Vzglyad reports.

This happened when Poroshenko went to the Alley of Glory to commemorate the city’s liberation from Nazi occupation by the Red Army. On the other side of the street a group of Euromaidan supporters shouted “Glory to Ukraine.” Townspeople met him with shouts of “Fascism will not pass!”

The President spent about half an hour there, then left to the cries of “Murderer!” Local media note that the president greeted the Maidan supporters, who shouted “Glory to Ukraine.”

Local news outlet “Dumskaya” reported that the police used force against a journalist. He was detained for covering the event without accreditation.

Earlier on Friday, it was reported that in Odessa supporters of the Euromaidan removed from the streets billboards with congratulations to veterans on the anniversary of the liberation from Nazi invaders.

Also, on the eve of Poroshenko’s visit police arrested 27 people, claiming two of them are suspected of plotting the assassination of a people’s deputy (member of Parliament). On April 7 Ukrainian Security Service head Valentin Nalyvaychenko told President Peter Poroshenko about the detention in Odessa of 10 people suspected of organizing explosions in the city. The latest such incident occurred on March 23 in an apartment building. Prior to this an explosion occurred on March 12 in the business center “Admiral”.

On March 16 Security Service of Ukraine announced the detention of the organizers of explosions near the offices of political forces and the pro-Maidan volunteer movement in Odessa. March 21 SBU announced the start of the final stage of “cleansing” of Odessa.

It was on April 1 that an effigy of President of Ukraine Poroshenko in bloody embroidered shirt (now an Ukrainian nationalists’ symbol) was hung in an Odessa street. This followed the similar March 15 hanging in Odessa of the Ukrainian Prime Minister Yatsenyuk. The chest of his effigy was inscribed with “Forgive me, Ukraine, I sold my soul to the IMF, and the people – into slavery.”