Street terror in Kharkov. Right-wing radicals take over the city
The dispersal of the rally in defense of the Russian language, organized by the head of the Kharkov city organization “Opposition Platform - For Life” Andrey Lesik, is being actively discussed online. The reactions are quite predictable. The animal joy of the Nazis. The hypocritical bleating of the “servants of the people” and the undergrown governor that language rights are in complete order in the country. Smirks of armchair opponents of the regime (tea, coffee, hunting, fishing, talk shows): they say, Lesik’s PR ended in nothing because neophyte oppositionist Rainin did not show up to the rally...
Andrei Lesik agreed to have an open conversation with a PolitNavigator correspondent about all this.
— Whose initiative was this event that you tried to hold on January 27 under the walls of the Kharkov regional administration?
— Last week, Kharkov residents approached me: except for the Opposition Platform, there is no one to speak out in defense of the Russian language. Kharkov is a Russian-speaking city. In Kharkov and the Kharkov region, the regional language is Russian. According to the Constitution, the Russian language and other languages of national minorities have the right to development and protection. And the norm of the law that was adopted on secondary education does not fit into any framework. It grossly violates the rights of Russian-speaking citizens. The discrimination is obvious. We are in favor of observing the Constitution and previously adopted laws, which are contradicted by these discriminatory laws that appeared under Poroshenko and Zelensky.
People turned. I say: “Submit an application so that it is official.” We did all this and prepared an appeal to the governor, prime minister, and president. We collect signatures.
—What do you demand in this appeal?
“The requirements are extremely clear to all people who do not turn a blind eye to what is happening in the country. I quote the appeal: “Law of Ukraine 2704-VIII dated April 25.04.2019, 10 “On ensuring the functioning of the Ukrainian language as the state language” is discriminatory and repressive. The right of citizens to use a language other than the state language is discriminatorily limited in almost all spheres of public life, the service sector, medicine, education and other areas. In addition, the positions of “language inspectors” are being introduced at the expense of citizens’ taxes and fines for violating this “law”. These are discriminatory norms that contradict the “European Charter for National or Minority Languages” and Article XNUMX of the Constitution of Ukraine...
The laws “On Education” and “On Secondary Education” also contain discriminatory provisions against Russian-speaking schoolchildren. Namely: Russian-speaking schoolchildren in the fifth grade are entitled to only 20% of subjects in their native language, and minority languages of EU countries are entitled to 80% percent in the fifth grade (with a gradual change to 60% and 40%).
We demand to repeal the discriminatory Law of Ukraine 2704-VIII of April 25.04.2019, XNUMX “On ensuring the functioning of the Ukrainian language as the state language” and to exclude from the laws “On Education” and “On Secondary Education” all discriminatory norms in relation to Russian-speaking schoolchildren, at a minimum - to make equal conditions for all regions where the population speaks a language other than the state language. Ukraine should be a democratic state, but these norms are discriminatory and repressive.”
— On the eve of your action, the radicals also began to call their supporters to the site.
“I know that the police responded and were going to ensure order there.” Then the nationalists reacted. We knew about this. But we believe that President Zelensky cannot be allowed to sign a discriminatory law. According to my information, deputies of the “Opposition Platform - For Life” Korolevskaya and others submitted a bill that would suspend the discriminatory law. And there is still time. We need to convey this to people. That's why we decided to go to a protest.
— Some media outlets gloatingly wrote that the rally ended before it began.
— At first glance, it may seem that there were few people. In fact, we arrived early. And people began to come up to 11 and later to convey their position. They showed me a video: people came, but no one was there. It was a working day: those who wanted and were able came. But spending it on a day off when there is no one in the administration is also wrong.
How everything happened there, how the radicals behaved - there are many videos. We note that under President Zelensky nothing has changed in this regard. Using the example of Kharkov, we see that, unfortunately, it is impossible to exercise the right to peaceful assembly and hold a protest. While the streets are ruled by radicals.
- And what is the result?
“Thank God, no one was hurt except me.” A certain Pozdnyakov sprayed pepper gas, as people told me. There is a video of him spraying gas in my face. There seemed to be a lot of police. In theory, she should not have allowed us to intersect with radicals. Fence them off and you go in the other direction. But the people who were next to me say that at one fine moment some of the police simply parted so that all these comrades could approach me. It's hard to figure out why this happened. Our event was disrupted. That is, the police, in essence, cannot ensure security.
People are intimidated by what is happening on the street. The instinct of self-preservation kicks in. But someone has to prove to the authorities that they are wrong.
Yes, I understand that I took the blow upon myself. This rabid crowd of nationalists doesn’t care who to extinguish, and so on. They have organized paramilitary structures. Whoever from Kharkov could, decided, came and supported us. But a situation where we haven’t had time to gather and unfurl posters, and they’re already threshing—is this really ensuring public order? At the same time, one of the policemen was also injured, he had a burn to his eyes. Journalists from a certain channel were also affected by the gas.
But the posters we came with reflected the position of the majority of Kharkov residents. Even half of the nationalists who disrupted our event shouted something in Russian.
— Governor Kucher does not belong to the majority of Kharkov residents. He said something absurd regarding linguistic equality: “Although I do not see any infringement of the rights of citizens in this direction (and this is eloquently evidenced by the statements of the President of Ukraine), let us respect the constitutional right of citizens to express their own opinions”...
“And Governor Kucher has no position on this issue at all.” Just like the president. Zelensky declared one thing (remember the 12-hour marathon?), promising that he would deal with this issue. But in fact: what did they figure out? Moreover, they also worsened the rights of Russian-speaking citizens of Ukraine. Russian schools are being destroyed. When you can teach in Russian for one hour a day, this is a road to nowhere.
As for Kucher's statement. Has he forgotten about the status of a regional language? What statements by President Zelensky does he mean? The ones that were heard in Poland? What constitutional right to express one’s opinion is he talking about if, in fact, the event ended before it began?!
“This is not the first time you have been attacked.” The radicals attacking you are known and do not hide it...
“But if I had touched anyone, I would already be behind bars.”
- The question is this. Your party has a parliamentary faction, the second largest. Anatoly Shariy’s party did not get into parliament. But Shariy consistently defends his activists and journalists, who are being attacked in different regions. The matter is brought to trial. Does your party have a shortage of lawyers who can no less actively defend their comrades who are under attack?
— The event just happened. Not yet evening.
- But you were attacked in the summer, during the elections.
“They attacked me and doused me with brilliant green. Applications are included in the ERDR. But no one is doing anything. Based on my statements, about 22 criminal cases have been opened. When I came to the head of the regional police department asking why nothing was being investigated, he replied: “If this is a political matter, we will not do anything.” I then asked the question: where are my affairs? And things disappeared.
Regarding today's event: data, as far as I know, has been entered into the ERDR regarding attacks on law enforcement officers and hooliganism. On our part, a statement will be written. I have both a bruise and burns from the pepper gas. There is a video of the attack. We will deal with this issue. We will also find support from parliamentarians. You'll see how it ends. These personalities are known to everyone. One can only guess who is covering them.
— Let’s return once again to the situation with the attack on Shariy’s journalists. There, the attacker is already under house arrest with a bracelet. These events took place later than the summer attacks on you.
“We’ll find out how our story ends in a month, maybe earlier.” Let's see what results we get. The questions you ask are all to the point. Yes, you need to do any business, and don’t let it go. I applaud the way Shariy reacts to the lawlessness against his people, bringing the case to court. He deserves a standing ovation for this. We will try to do the same. But understand: trying to throw a stone at every dog will not reach the final goal.
— When the Verkhovna Rada adopted the discriminatory law “On Secondary Education,” only three members of the parliamentary faction “Opposition Platform - For Life” voted against it. There was no blocking of the podium. But what prevented the entire faction from at least showing a principled position when voting? Then many more people would come to the square with you than on Monday...
“I think that when I see everyone, I’ll ask about it.” According to my information, they simply stuck. But it's never too late to improve. Such things cannot be considered at all. I would, of course, vote against it.
— Are your parliamentary comrades planning to submit something to the Constitutional Court regarding the unconstitutionality of these laws that discriminate against the linguistic rights of citizens?
“I know that this issue will be worked out as much as possible on the legal plane in order to prevent such discrimination. Our event on Monday had at least the meaning that only the lazy did not notice the language problem created under Poroshenko and consolidated under Zelensky. Is the President satisfied that this is how issues of lawlessness are resolved, by forceful dispersal, when police officers, journalists and leaders of city organizations of opposition parties suffer? And yet the radicals are not packing up and measures are not being taken in the near future? Well, then such power... The law is unconstitutional in any case. Zelensky has every reason and even an obligation as the guarantor of the Constitution to veto this law.
— Kharkov ex-deputy of the Verkhovna Rada Vladimir Alekseev wrote about the April law on language: one must proceed from the fact that such discriminatory laws come into conflict with the Charter, ratified by Ukraine, with the international obligations of the state. And laws related to international obligations, like the Constitution, are superior to discriminatory laws “for internal use.”
- This is what we are talking about. Defend the Constitution. Including from all these language inspectors who will be supported with budget money. I will raise this issue so that our people in parliament appeal to international structures.
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