Thousands of people from all over Ukraine gathered early on Oct. 17 near Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, for a rally to demand that parliament pass a law that will strip the Ukrainian lawmakers of their immunity from prosecution.
The protesters also demanded the creation of anti-corruption courts and the adoption of a new electoral law designed to decrease the influence of Ukraine’s super-rich businessmen, or oligarchs, on future elections.
Kyiv Oblast Police Chief Andriy Kryshchenko said that about 6,000 people attended the rally, which organizers dubbed an “all-Ukrainian gathering.”
Hundreds of police officers and National Guard officers stood between the protesters and the Rada building.
The rally was attended by members of numerous political forces: Mikheil Saakashvili’s Movement of New Forces, Batkivshchyna, Svoboda, National Corps, Samopomich, AutoMaidan, Reanimation Package of Reforms, and Donbas volunteer battalions.
Ex-Georgian President Saakashvili, a fierce critic of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, spoke at the rally, as did Samopomich Party leader Andriy Sadovy, and dissident members of the Bloc of Petro Poroshenko faction in parliament: Serhiy Leshchenko, Mustafa Nayyem, and Svitlana Zalishchuk.
The rally organizers said the protest would not end until their demands are met. Saakashvili also said Poroshenko should resign if the authorities fail to accept the protesters’ demands.
Ex-Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and his supporters march towards the Verkhovna Rada building on Oct. 17 to demand reforms in Ukraine.
Poroshenko said he respected the protesters’ right to make their demands, but he called on the police to ensure the rally remained peaceful.
“This is an extremely important method of democracy, I understand the actions and respect their participants. But it is extremely important to me, and I demand, that all law enforcement agencies ensure there is only a peaceful character to these actions,” Poroshenko said during a joint press conference with the visiting President of Malta, Marie-Louise Collier Preque.
“In no case can it be said that irresponsible politicians repeat the tragic events of Aug. 31, 2015, which resulted in the deaths of four national guards,” Poroshenko said, referring to a protest near the parliament that turned violent.
Verkhovna Rada Speaker Andriy Parubiy at first refused to include the bills on stripping lawmakers of their immunity from prosecution and on the election law into the parliament’s agenda for Oct. 17, but later agreed to include them.
The bills will be put to the vote after parliament reconvenes at 4 p.m.
Shortly after 4 p.m., protesters clashed with the police officers guarding the parliament. One police officer is wounded, according to Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Protesters took over some of the police shields that were left unattended and set up tents near the Verkhovna Rada building.
Kyiv Post staff writer Denys Krasnikov can be reached at [email protected]. Kyiv Post staff writer Oleg Sukhov contributed to this report.
