«Donetsk regional organization» of the so-called Ukrainian National Assembly (UNA) has recently spread leaflets with xenophobic and ultra-nationalist content. The so-called UNA, which office is, perhaps not coincidently, located right at the back of the building of President Kuchma’s Presidential Administration, became active in June when, at the request from its political patrons, it started provocations against the leaders of the opposition. Then, decorated with fascist insignia thugs supported by the government, marched through the streets of Kyiv shouting xenophobic slogans, unacceptable either morally or legally, and supposedly expressed support for Yushchenko.
Despite the fact that Yushchenko’s team had warned mass media about the provocative nature of the UNA actions, aimed to discredit Victor Yushchenko, the UNA rally was widely publicized by «Inter,» «1+1,» and «UT-1» television stations. The cast of this television pool alone and the uncanny similarity of the news on the channels mentioned above provide a clear indication of who was behind the treacherous provocations. We are sure that this is a part of the Kuchma-Yanukovych-Medvedchuk electoral campaign. It is they who are trying to introduce artificially the elements of Russophobia and anti-Semitism into the electoral campaign and to cause discord between the Ukrainians and the Jews and the Ukrainians and the Russians, between the East and the West of Ukraine.
Victor Yushchenko demanded in a letter to Leonid Kuchma to act against the actions of the forces that use fascist swastika and slogans that stir racial and national hatred. People’s deputies have asked the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Security Service of Ukraine, and the Office of the Prosecutor General to apply immediate measures and put an end to the illegal actions of UNA. Nevertheless, not counting on the government to fulfill its constitutional obligations, we made the provocateurs aware of the fact that we were planning to counter their dirty technologies and that was why UNA rescheduled its torchlight procession, which had been planned for 18 July.
Now, an UNA congress and a torchlight procession under fascist slogans through Kyiv have been planned for 31 July. The «Power of the People» Coalition demands that Yanukovych’s government use those measures against the party that is stirring national hatred that are stipulated by the law. The «Power of the People» demands the government to prohibit holding events that are styled to look like nazi rallies and prohibit the use of the corresponding insignia and slogans in Kyiv.
We are warning that, if the government does not end the provocative actions of UNA, we will be forced to do it ourselves. We will use the most effective means, use all the legal methods in order not to allow the rousing of national hatred in our country. Provocateurs and extremists will get a rebuff they deserve.
The «Power of the People» Coalition