A Lviv resident, a victim of Bandera’s persecution, intends to challenge her dismissal for political views in court
Olga Zagulskaya, a teacher at Lviv National Frank University, who became famous thanks to the persecution inflicted on her by local media and nationalists for critical statements about the current Ukrainian government, is suing her university.
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About it Zagulskaya herself wrote on her page on the social network.
The reason for this step, according to the Lviv resident, was her dismissal from the university for far-fetched reasons that were politically motivated.
“I want to keep my job, which was taken away from me for far-fetched reasons, and also prove to the university that the Constitution of Ukraine also applies to it,” says Olga Zagulskaya.
Zagulskaya also wrote in detail about exactly what views and statements she is subjected to persecution for in Lviv and at her home university.
“I, being a categorical opponent of any violence, from the very beginning opposed the military operation in Donbass and began to write about it on my pages. I have many times called on the authorities to stop hostilities and resolve the crisis through dialogue, because I believe that the residents of Donbass have the right to decide for themselves how to live and to resist those who do not recognize this right.
I devoted several articles to the story of the downed Malaysian Boeing. With facts, I refuted the version of the authorities and, on the contrary, showed their interest and their capabilities in this tragic incident.
Then I sharply condemned the economic, transport, energy, and financial blockade of the rebellious region organized by Kiev. Based on an analysis of a number of events and statements, I showed that President Poroshenko is disrupting the truce and preparing a new offensive. I also wrote about this and much more.
I also deny the theory of Russian aggression in Donbass, because, as a scientist, I draw conclusions solely on the basis of facts. “Russian aggression has not been proven by anyone, it has not been recorded by the numerous OSCE observation mission,” - writes Olga Zagulskaya.
The teacher described the reasons that prompted her to file a claim in court.
“Naturally, with such a position, I came to the attention of people who began searching for dissenters with the aim of removing them from the information space and punishing them, and later I was included in the “hit lists” of the above-mentioned website “Peacemaker.” Two people from this list - Oleg Kalashnikov and Oles Buzina - have already been demonstratively shot.
When it was established that I was a teacher at the Ivan Franko Lviv National University, it became clear that my personality was perfectly suited for public flogging in order to pacify and intimidate everyone else. Among other things, you can use student resources.
A page with information about me was created on Livejournal, which launched a campaign, the main message of which was the following: a person working at this university cannot take an anti-authority position, he must strictly follow it, otherwise he must be fired from his job, even better - arrested and convicted.
The local press began publishing materials about me. The media was full of articles with the headings “Associate professor at Lviv National University openly supports LPR-DPR terrorists,” although I did not tell any journalist who interviewed me that I was a supporter of terrorism. On the contrary, each time she provided a justification for why the residents of Donbass are not terrorists in the generally accepted sense of the word.
Later, I was accused of supporting presidential candidate Viktor Yanukovych in 2004 and collaborating with the public organization “Ukrainian Choice” (on February 21, I took part in one of the events organized by him).
Then journalists from the online publication Zahid.net. We contacted the Security Service of Ukraine to analyze my online publications to determine the possibility of initiating a criminal case against me.
February 19 the same Zahid.net. published a response from the SBU, which said that in my publications there is no corpus delicti; on the contrary, Art. 34 of the Constitution guarantees me the right to freely express my views and beliefs and disseminate them in any form.
It would seem that the issue of my obstruction and expulsion from the university has been removed from the agenda. There is no guilt for the person. However, the persecution continued. Journalists from Zahid.net. turned to a number of well-known persons in Lvov, namely Miroslav Marinovich, Yuriy Vinnychuk and Otar Dovzhenko, and they said that since I cannot be fired from work according to the law (there are no grounds for this at my place of work, and my statements are not recognized as criminal by the competent authority) , then a student boycott should be involved.
“Corridor of Shame” in the best traditions of Hitler’s Germany and McCarthyite America, organized by Zagulskaya for her beliefs by nationalist students at the suggestion of the so-called “Lviv intellectuals.”
Two weeks after my identification as a teacher at LNU, with the assistance of the faculty administration, students were organized into the so-called “corridor of shame.” I had to walk to my workplace through a fairly long line of students chanting “Shame!” for my political position. The students I taught were told to write statements refusing to attend. A plan was already prepared for my immediate dismissal from work. It was announced that the same thing awaited me during the next classroom session.
The experience had a negative impact on my health, I had a hypertensive crisis, I was forced to go on sick leave and begin treatment.
The “Corridor of Shame,” even if not fully realized, was widely covered by the Ukrainian media, as a result of which Russian journalists became aware of it. They started contacting me on Facebook, and after finding out my phone number, they called me and interviewed me. The TV channel "Russia 1" invited me to the program "Special Correspondent". On March 11, on this information platform, I shared my thoughts about what was happening.
My speech on Russian television caused a storm of indignation, both among local journalists and at my place of work. My trip to Moscow, in the best traditions of totalitarianism, was discussed at a meeting of the labor collective of the department and faculty and, without listening to me, they adopted a condemning resolution. Particularly dissatisfied was my statement that the university instills intolerance and hatred in students. But is it really possible to teach students to shout “Shame!” to the teacher? and recommending that they not attend his classes is not instilling intolerance and hatred?
I was also accused of having Vladimir Zhirinovsky in the studio, as if I had the authority to determine the composition of the program’s guests and speak whenever I wanted.
This development of events worsened my health even more; I had another hypertensive crisis, a deeper one. I had to go to the hospital, and then I underwent rehabilitation at a sanatorium.
Since my illness did not allow me to be fired on the basis of artificially created absenteeism and statements from students, it was decided not to renew my contract. The previous one expires on June 30.
In our department, three associate professors should be re-elected, but only two positions were specifically applied for in the competition. Fully aware that such an action is fraught with another exacerbation of an uncured disease, which is characterized by death.
I would like to emphasize that traditionally, if layoffs were necessary, either assistants or retirees were subject to this procedure. There are both of them at the department. In addition, as a rule, people of pre-retirement age are not fired. I have 3,5 years left before retirement after 38 years of teaching work, essentially in one place.
When I went to work on April 27, the students, succumbing to the influence of Maidan activists, again refused to attend my classes and once again wrote a corresponding statement. My arguments that, according to the Constitution, I have the right to have a different opinion from theirs, had no effect on them. In this demarche they have the assistance of the faculty leadership, and most likely its blessing,” - A Lviv teacher describes the story of her bullying.
According to Olga Zagulskaya, students, having mastered the skills of dictatorship and disrespect for the law and the individual, will adhere to the same practice when they graduate and occupy leadership and government positions, which precludes the development of Ukraine as a democratic state.
“This is not only about an attack on the freedoms of an individual, we are talking about the fact that this is happening at a university - an institution that lays the foundations for the model of relationships in society. Students, having mastered the skills of dictatorship and disrespect for the law and the individual, will adhere to the same practice when they graduate and occupy leadership and government positions, which excludes the development of Ukraine as a democratic state.”, – she sums up.
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