The People of Ukraine
"Until a couple of days ago, we had this huge apparatus of the state that repressed the people, and the people had to fight back in some way. We didn't have weapons, we didn't have our own apparatus."Ukrainian House is a public building controlled by those who consider themselves revolutionaries. Inside the building there is a gallery of ten photographs of men and women. All are described as judges, and each of those grim-faced men and women is identified by name. "You are responsible!" reads a caption over every one of those faces. One of the female judges stands accused of "banning meetings in the streets", while another is held responsible for "jailing activists."
"One of the ways you could fight back was to single out these corrupt judges, policemen, attorneys, for public humiliation; finding them in the streets, shouting at them, putting a sticker on their car."
"I will not condemn the people who will beat him up ... because I understand their feelings and I understand they have the moral right to do this because this judge has done hundreds of terrible things to them."
"The Western politicians and many Western journalists might not understand the level of corruption in the judiciary and the level of hatred of the average populace to the judiciary, to the police."
"People are entitled to their own justice right now."
Yuri Levchenko, "commandant", Ukrainian House
"There is a difference between revenge and justice. Revenge doesn't bring harmony at all. It just brings short-term satisfaction. You cannot fight evil with another evil. We don't need revenge -- we need justice."Suddenly, the people who ignored the possibility that snipers' bullets would be aimed at their heads, to appear in the public square insisting that President Viktor Yanukovych leave, so they could be enabled to build a new Ukraine, are assessing their opportunities to take revenge on those who had so recently threatened and tormented them.
Pavlo Rizanenko, MP, Udar party
The crowds in Independence Square have undertaken no such direction, however. Nor, though they occupy streets full of banks and designer stores and no police presence anywhere, have they attempted to smash windows. No one has engaged themselves in theft or looting. They simply are not that kind of people. They are the people of Ukraine. The thugs who also inhabit Ukraine have left the scene.
Those in the public square are not the "bandits" and "Nazis" deplored by the regime's propaganda. The revolutionaries are represented by middle-class professionals. They are doctors, architects, IT consultants, computer programmers, among others. And, among the others what they want, what they fought and demonstrated for was a just society and an advance toward democratic freedoms and liberties.
They comport themselves with discipline and restraint.
Labels: Conflict, Controversy, Human Rights, Justice, Ukraine
posted by Pieface @ Wednesday, February 26, 2014
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