Screen Shot 2014-01-19 at 18.51.20

Stefano Duc

Correspondent (Europe)

KIEV – Clashes have broken out today in downtown Kiev during a protest against the new laws which aim to curb public protests. According to the latest news,thousands of anti-government and pro-EU demonstrators started heading towards the Ukrainian parliament,which was cordoned off by policemen and buses. The first pictures of the clashes show protesters overturning and burning these buses, while the riot police tries to make the demonstrators back off  by throwing launch grenades and flares.

Ukraine has seen a long series of rallies in the past two months. It started in late November, when President Yanukovych decided not to sign a commercial treaty between his country and the European Union, under the pressure of Russia. Such a decision brought thousands of Ukrainians to take the streets of Kiev, and demand for more cooperation with the EU. However, the pro-EU protests rapidly turned into anti-government rallies, as more and more people started asking for the president’s and the government’s resignation, amid accusations of corruption.This brought the parliament to pass a series of laws last Thursday, with the support pro-Yanukovych MPs, which restrict the possibility of protesting.

 

 

Image Courtesy: Flickr (Ivan Bandura)

The following two tabs change content below.

Stefano Duc

Stefano Duc is TGP’s European Breaking News correspondent. Interested in politics, culture and writing, he believes that information can make the difference.