In Kiev, the radicals thwarted a march to the Day of Transgender Memory: there are victims. PHOTO, VIDEO

The march to the Day of Remembrance of Transgender People, which was held for the third time in Kiev on Sunday, the radicals threw smoke bombs, after which the police pushed participants into the subway and stopped the action.

Photo: Insight LGBTQ NGO

Transfer of the place of action

As told BBC News Ukraine Oksana Pokalchuk, one of the participants of the action, the director of Amnesty International in Ukraine, was initially planned to hold a march on Mikhailovskaya Square. But because of the threats and because other actions were announced there, they decided to move him to Shevchenko Park.

Immediately before the start of the action, the police gave instructions to once again change the location of the action - this time to the Universitet metro station.

“This was unexpected and dangerous for those people who did not know about the move of the rally site and went to Shevchenko Park, where the radicals were gathering,” notes Oksana Pokalchuk.

“Near the University (Shevchenko - Ed.) everything is blocked by right-wing radicals. The collection point has been moved to the Universitet metro station. Be carefull. Several hundred far-right activists gathered near the red building,” wrote its organizer, chairman of the Insight organization Elena Shevchenko, before the start of the rally.

A couple of minutes

Photo: Olena Shevchenko

Already at the Universitet metro station, the protesters were surrounded by law enforcement officers. The organizers made short speeches, after which representatives of radical organizations began throwing smoke bombs.

“At the moment we are being blocked by the ultra-right near the University metro station. But we are holding a rally. There are smoke bombs all around,” wrote Elena Shevchenko.

“The police did not react and did not detain anyone. And then the police pushed me quite harshly towards the entrance to the metro and said: “That’s it, the action is over,” added Oksana Pokalchuk.

“We were forced into the subway. The police were unable to contain right-wing radicals. The action was disrupted,” summed up Elena Shevchenko.

“The police drove people into the subway. Participants chant “Human rights above all.” Opponents continue to throw smoke blowers,” noted another participant in the action, Lesya Kharchenko.

“The police were unable (and, apparently, did not particularly want to) restrain the radicals and stupidly drove all the participants and participants of the action into the subway. Such is the freedom of peaceful assembly in Ukraine…” stated transgender Tangarr Forgart.

According to the organizers, the action itself actually lasted several minutes.

“The march was disrupted, but they managed to hold a short rally that lasted twenty minutes,” reads a note from organizers from Insight LGBTQ NGO.

Photo: Olena Shevchenko

“We managed to unfurl rainbow and trans flags, as well as banners with our slogans and demands. Inna Iriskina, coordinator of the transgender direction of the Insight NGO, gave a speech about the agenda and necessity of this rally. Some right-wingers pushed their way into the crowd and tried to shout down the speech, chanting “Shame.” The police again guarded the wrong people,” the organizers add.

In total, up to a hundred participants joined the march.

“This is already a lot - so many people have gathered, despite the threats,” says Oksana Pokalchuk.

According to theBabel website, protesters unfolded posters demanding to lift the ban on transgender people to adopt or adopt children, include gender identity in the list of signs on which violence should be considered a hate crime, and asked the Ministry of Health to approve medical care for transgender people.

The participants stood with the posters of the metro "Universitet" Kіlka Khvilín, after what they poliotseyski zashtovkhali їх from the metro pic.twitter.com/BBhjU5FOQD

- TheBabel (@theBabelUA) November 18, 2018

“We prevented a provocation”

Photo: Olena Shevchenko

“It was at the entrance to the subway that the participants of the action gathered, who, according to the application, with their event wanted to draw public attention to the problems of transgender people. And representatives of other organizations that held an event in the Taras Shevchenko Park tried to cause a provocation by arriving at the metro station,” the metropolitan police website says.

Law enforcement officers note that in order to prevent conflicts, they separated the participants.

“At this time, an unknown man used a pepper spray, causing two people to require medical attention,” police added.

More about the victims in the police are not reported.

Information about two victims is also confirmed in Insight:

“We are now aware of attacks by right-wing radicals on rally participants. Two girls were injured, tear gas was sprayed in their faces, and they were taken away by ambulance.” Also, Canadian journalist Michael Colborne, who was present at the protest, was hit in the face and had his glasses broken during the clashes,” say the initiators of the protest.

At the same time, the organizers of the action express alarm about the danger of the so-called “safari” on its participants, which is traditionally organized by radicals after similar events.

“Attention: there are a lot of right-wing radicals in the center of Kyiv. Avoid traveling downtown today. This is very dangerous,” Elena Shevchenko warned on her Facebook page.

Opponents call the march itself “propaganda for transvestites” in Ukraine.

Among the organizations whose representatives were seen near the University metro station, according to the march participants: “Katekhon”, “Tradition and Order”, “Brotherhood”.

Memory action

Photo: Olena Shevchenko

International Day of Transgender People is celebrated in the world of November 20 (in Ukraine, the action was postponed to a day off).

“On this day, we remember those who died due to transphobia: hatred and prejudice against manifestations of transgenderism and gender non-conformity,” says Amnesty International Ukraine in a note.

A few days before Sunday’s protest, the organization called on law enforcement and city authorities to “make every effort to guarantee the safe holding of the event and ensure the right of citizens to peaceful protest.”

“The March for the Day of Remembrance of Transgender People has been held in Kyiv since 2016. However, this year, for the first time, participants faced such a wave of threats from radical groups,” stated Amnesty International in Ukraine.

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