Ukrainians protest Russian language bid
Source: Agencies |
May 26, 2012, Saturday
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UKRAINE'S ruling party has triggered violent protests with a move to upgrade the official role of the Russian language - a sensitive issue in the former Soviet republic and one which opponents say will effectively split the country.
A draft law by President Viktor Yanukovich's Regions Party rekindled an emotional debate in Ukraine where Russian is the mother tongue of most of the people in the east and south, while Ukrainian - the state language - predominates in parts of the center and in the west.
Fists flew among deputies in parliament on Thursday and a crowd of about 150 people rallied yesterday outside the parliament building in Kiev, many of them bearing slogans in defense of Ukrainian language rights.
"Nobody is threatening the Russian language. It is Ukrainian that has to be saved. This is no joke: yesterday there were fights in parliament but tomorrow there will be fights on the streets," said Yarema Goyan, a writer, who joined the protest.
Opponents of the move regard use of Ukrainian as a touchstone of sovereignty and say a growing encroachment of Russian will only keep Ukraine in Russia's sphere of influence.
The issue sets the ruling Regions Party - many of whose deputies have a power base in densely populated Russian-speaking industrial areas of the east - at odds with mainstream opposition parties such as that of jailed former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko.
Tymoshenko's Batkivshchyna party said the proposed law was a cynical move by the Regions to win back disenchanted voters in time for a parliamentary election in October.
A draft law by President Viktor Yanukovich's Regions Party rekindled an emotional debate in Ukraine where Russian is the mother tongue of most of the people in the east and south, while Ukrainian - the state language - predominates in parts of the center and in the west.
Fists flew among deputies in parliament on Thursday and a crowd of about 150 people rallied yesterday outside the parliament building in Kiev, many of them bearing slogans in defense of Ukrainian language rights.
"Nobody is threatening the Russian language. It is Ukrainian that has to be saved. This is no joke: yesterday there were fights in parliament but tomorrow there will be fights on the streets," said Yarema Goyan, a writer, who joined the protest.
Opponents of the move regard use of Ukrainian as a touchstone of sovereignty and say a growing encroachment of Russian will only keep Ukraine in Russia's sphere of influence.
The issue sets the ruling Regions Party - many of whose deputies have a power base in densely populated Russian-speaking industrial areas of the east - at odds with mainstream opposition parties such as that of jailed former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko.
Tymoshenko's Batkivshchyna party said the proposed law was a cynical move by the Regions to win back disenchanted voters in time for a parliamentary election in October.
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