BBC News
Riot police in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, have forcefully dispersed hundreds of protesters, beating some with truncheons, witnesses say.
Protest organiser Sergei Milnichenko said tear gas had also been used as police moved in at about 04:30 (02:30 GMT) on Saturday.
It followed fresh rallies against President Viktor Yanukovych's refusal to sign an EU association agreement.
Unconfirmed reports said a number of people had been hurt.
Witnesses said ambulances were on the scene and some demonstrators were seen bleeding from their heads and arms.
"It was horrible. We were holding a peaceful demonstration and they attacked us," said protester Lada Tromada.
"They threw us away like garbage."
One activist tweeted that dozens of protesters had been hurt and dozens taken into police custody.
Police said they had decided to clear Independence Square after "a number of incidents", Interfax Ukraine news agency reported.
It was not clear what incidents they were referring to.
Last week, Mr Yanukovych said he was suspending preparations for signing an EU association agreement that would have opened borders to goods and set the stage for an easing of travel restrictions.
He said pressure from Russia had led him to make his decision. Mr Yanukovych argued that Ukraine could not afford to sacrifice trade with Russia, which opposed the deal.
But the move triggered angry street protests in Kiev.
On Friday - as Mr Yanukovych attended an EU summit in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius - about 10,000 demonstrators took to Independence Square, carrying Ukrainian and EU flags and chanting "Ukraine is Europe".
There was also a smaller rally in support of Mr Yanukovych a few hundred metres away in European Square.
On Friday, EU leaders meeting in Vilnius warned they would not tolerate Russian interference in the bloc's relations with former Soviet republics.
The summit reached provisional accords with Georgia and Moldova.
"The times of limited sovereignty are over in Europe," said European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.
EU Council President Herman Van Rompuy said the parties had been "really close" to signing the association agreement in Vilnius, but added: "We need to overcome pressure from abroad."
"We are embarked on a long journey, helping Ukraine to become, as others, what we call now, 'new member states'. But we have to set aside short-term political calculations."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the door would always remain open for Ukraine.
No comments:
Post a Comment