Ukraine’s rallies continue for money
Stages were installed in the both locations, with the demonstrators having enough flags, posters and other political symbols. At the both locations, organizers were loud, trying to warm up supporters. At the rally of the coalition, organizers called on the audience to shout “Jesus has arisen!” among other statements.
It seemed that the coalition was better prepared for their rally. On the Independence Square, they had TV live conferences arranged with Kharkiv, Donetsk, Lugansk and Dnepropetrovsk. In all cases, people were condemning the president’s decree to dissolve the parliament, while praising the current cabinet.
At the site, one could even notice an exotic poster, saying “Yanukovich is My God”. Coalition supporters would call the oppositionists as nothing but traitors. The leader of communists, Piotr Simanenko, even called to abolish the post of the president.
Shortly after the coalition leaders finished their speeches and as they put it released Viktor Yanukovich to continue working, the opposition newsmakers started their rally at the Europe’s Square.
Correspondingly, the speeches there were quite the opposite, with the most popular calls to dissolve the parliament. The opposition politicians said that after April 2 when the president’s decree was published, the work of the Supreme Rada was an empty sound. They would also stress that it was the Socialists who were most active in defending the parliament, as their approval rating was below the qualification level of 4 percent.
The Ukrainian language was most heard at the both rallies. The coalition speakers would make it a point to underline their patriotism. The Party of Regions also advised unofficially to the demonstrators not to raise the Russian flags. Indeed, there were not seen during the rally.
At the same time, one gets an impression that the both rallies are a simulation. This is definitely not the year of 2004, according to observers writing in their blogs. Transport and often money were offered to the people to come to the Kiev rally. A student from Donetsk mentioned the sum of 130 hryven ($25) paid daily for taking part in the rally.
The decision by the Constitutional Court to postpone the crucial hearing about the president’s decree for April 17 has changed drastically the plans of the politicians, who had previously planned their all-out demonstrations to take place on Wednesday. Apparently, now the main focus of the rallies will be shifted on the days of the court’s sessions. By the way, the president has provided a 24-hour security to the judges.
President Victor Yuschenko is expected Thursday to announce his vision of the situation, when he will talk to reporters at the traditional quarterly news conference.
