Thousands protest Ukraine upheaval in pro-Russian port

[newthinking]

Source: Yahoo News -



Sevastopol (Ukraine) (AFP) - Waving placards calling for "Mother Russia" to save them, thousands of people rallied Sunday in Ukraine's port city of Sevastopol to denounce the political upheaval in Kiev as fears grow that the country could splinter.

Home to Russia's Black Sea fleet for some 200 years, Sevastopol in Ukraine's autonomous Crimea region is a bastion of pro-Moscow sentiment in the deeply divided ex-Soviet state where mass protests have forced Kremlin-allied president Viktor Yanukovich to flee the capital.

...

But among some in Sevastopol anger seems to be rising.

"The fascists have taken power in Kiev!" shouted one speaker to the crowd of roughly 10,000 demonstrators as they waved Russian tricolours and navy banners.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/thousands-protest-ukraine-upheaval-pro-russian-port-205056185.html

[Nanjing to Seoul]

1. So, the fascists have taken power? That means anyone in Ukraine that supports a decreased

Russian control of Kiev is a Brown shirt or a nazi?

We're back in the 1930s I see.

[MattSh]

4. One of the three major parties...

Svoboda, has a history of anti-semitism, ultra-nationalism and pro-racism.

And they are still on record for forced Ukrainianization of the Russian population. Unless you're in favor of forcing everybody in the USA to speak English, why would you favor forcing everybody in Ukraine to speak Ukrainian?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svoboda_(political_party)

[Nanjing to Seoul]

5. Okay. . .that's one political party.

And no, I am not in favor it at all.

I don't see how one major political party means the Fascists have taken over, especially because there is an election. Talk to me after that.

[dipsydoodle]

7. Another is the Right Sector

Ultras who don't believe in government - period.

[Nanjing to Seoul]

10. split the wingnut vote, the other side goes in

I still don't see it.

[dipsydoodle]

11. Such groups overall could theroetically form a govenment.

All depends on how much sense their voter have got - given even a basic grasp of economics not a lot at present I'd say.

As I mentioned elsewhere - their future at present is likely to make Greece look like a picnic.

[Paula Sims]

13. Actually, they were forcing the NATIONAL LANGUAGE to be Ukrainian

When my parents came here in the 1950's they had to learn SOME English to live, work, eat here. Their language skills are not good, and my Father, with being hard of hearing, is even worse. But they still can exist in an English speaking society. I am against official government documents or transactions being in a language other than the state language. That's the core of a society. That's what all pro-Ukrainian speaking parties should support.

The Ukrainian language has been dismissed, ignored, and not taught, even in Ukraine, for a couple of centuries. It is not Russian, not Polish -- it is a distinct language. For the former Ukrainian Parliament to vote that the Ukrainian language is not the official language sent a horrible message to the people. Even Ireland is trying to re-instate Gaelic. Once the language is gone, the core of a people begins to go away. I feel the official language of America should be English (with translators if necessary) and yes, people should learn SOME English to be able to function among the people. A given country's native language is required in all other European countries, why not in Ukraine?

So the people in the eastern part are mostly Russian. God bless them. Let them keep their language, their traditions, their whatever. But they are in Ukraine and should speak some of the language. Chances are they speak at least one other language (English, German), so learning Ukrainian should not be considered a hardship. As for me, no hypocrite here, -- I speak seven languages with different levels of fluency, all learned at the side of my family (they know a total of 10 between them -- had to to "blend in" during WWII), some refined when I took languages in school. Today I am almost 50 and still speak at least 5 regularly (Ukrainian, Polish, Russian, English, German) and have functioning knowledge of Spanish, Czech, and Serbian (no confidence in my vocabulary but can comprehend what's being said). For some reason I can't wrap my brain around French but my husband is self-taught in that so we have that aspect covered.

Call me neo-Nazi or whatever, but languages are where I draw the line.

[DFW]

2. More like "the Ukranians have taken power"

There is no love lost, and a split is not impossible. The Ukranian language is closer to Polish than Russian, though most Ukies speak Russian as a first or second language. As with any national border not drawn along ethnic lines, as long as there are large groups of people in a country who are linguistically and ethnically from a country next door, there will be tensions. The borders of the Ukraine include wide areas of ethnic Russians. Unless there are large groups among them that have been mistreated by Russia, it is only logical that they feel closer to Russia than to the Ukrainians.

[rootProbiscus]

3. Sorry, but more like the Poles have taken power

Sure, only a quarter of the Ukraine was Polish before 1945. But the divide seems to be Pole/Russian rather than Ukranian/Russian.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

6. Are you arguing that there is no Ukrainian people or culture, just a mix of Poles and Russians?

Oh, and by the way, it is just Ukraine, not "the Ukraine."

[newthinking]

15. They are all Ukrainians - Just with different ethnic backgrounds

This is one of the problems. The groups that are now in power, in general do not believe their brothers and sisters in the East are Ukrainians. They have, and apparently it appears they will continue, to discriminate against those who are not exactly the same as they are.

[dipsydoodle]

8. Turning on those who support the east too

Feb. 23, 2:35 a.m. In Kharkiv EuroMaidan rally was attacked by unknown men. The men drove two cars into the crowd of anti-government protesters and started shooting, reports local news website ATN. The people ran to the building of the governor's office to hide. At least two are wounded. -- Olga Rudenko

http://www.kyivpost.com/content/kyiv/euromaidan-rallies-in-ukraine-feb-21-live-updates-337287.html

Indicates similar protests in the east may be doomed to failure.

[GliderGuider]

9. This looks like it could have the makings of a civil war...

Especially if Putin gets tootin'.

[Comrade Grumpy]

12. I suspect this isn't over.