Last night students from Lund university joined with the Ukrainian community to hold a meeting entitled “The Heaven`s Hundred”, in order to show international support and solidarity for those whom have been killed in the Ukraine protests.
A crowd gathered in front of Lund cathedral, huddling in a circle against the bitterly cold evening.
“We want you to remember their faces, so that their lives are not lost” said Olga (27), a Human Rights Law student from Ukraine who had organised the event along with her fellow course member Oksana (22) also from Ukraine (both students have requested that their last names remain anonymous). Printed photos of both Ukrainian protesters and police lay on the ground.
“We are mourning all deaths” explains Olga “It’s not the police’s fault, they are victims too.”
Below each photo were the personal details of each victim’s lives, their families, and details of their deaths. A hundred candles were lit one by one and placed on top of them. There was a minute of silence before a video of the protest “hymn” was played to the crowd. Everyone stood in silence, with tearful eyes, in solidarity watching the candles flicker.
800 000 people protesting
The peaceful remembrance meeting was in stark contrast to the dramatically violent media imagery which has come out of Ukraine since the protests began in November last year. According to BBC sources the unrest erupted after the (now missing) President Yanukovych’s cabinet announced that it had abandoned an agreement that would strengthen trade ties with the EU, instead seeking closer co-operation with Russia, however according to Oksana the protests later became about the fight for national sovereignty, justice and human rights. Initially starting with a couple of hundred protesters, by December last year over 800,000 people were protesting in Kiev. Tension between protesters and riot police escalated, and this last week has been the most violent week so far. On the 20th of February 48 hours of clashes took place resulting in 77 deaths and hundreds of casualties.
Online every minute
The violence and bloodshed, which took place last Thursday was extremely difficult for the students to comprehend being so far away from home. Oksana recalls that she spent the day scrolling through her Facebook and mainstream news pages, “watching online videos people being killed by snipers and reading the comments.” Although the international students at Lund were aware of the violence most couldn’t truly understand how she was feeling.
“Psychologically it was hard, but I felt better when I could Skype with my Ukrainian or Georgian friends, we could relate and fully understand each other, as we are both from post-Soviet Union countries.” Olga’s experience was similar;
“I was on the internet every minute. There were snipers killing people and at the same time we had the president negotiating with European ministers. I felt angry, why couldn’t they stop killing our people? I couldn’t do anything, all I could do was watch it happen. I will remember it forever.”
Both students did what they could to spread the news, blogging and re-posting videos across social media networks of protesters being shot at.
Makes it East against West
The last week has seen the most dramatic clashes in Ukraine so far yet simplification of the situation by much of the international media has been very destructive.
“They make it East against West, dividing Ukraine based on language, but what it’s really about is some people in Ukraine have the capacity to fight for their civil rights and some don’t. Those who do are from everywhere”.
Olga who is from the Donetsk, which is considered ‘pro-government’ says,
“I am an example of this as I am from the East but I am not supporting Yanukovych.”
The next presidential elections are due to take place on May 25th, yet many protesters still remain at Independence square.
“They want a complete re-election of the entire parliament on all levels not just presidential” says Oksana. For both students their hopes for the next leader are clear. “Every politician who is running for president should not disregard the wishes and views of the people who have lost their lives fighting for them. Those people should never be forgotten.”
