...in Odessa
12.12.2001 source: ’Rukhinform’
In Odessa the much-advertised meeting ’In defense of the Constitution’ failed. Heads of Odessa district administrations got strict orders to provide the population at the meeting, more 50 buses were taken off the routes to be used for transporting the participants. In spite of all these tricks less than 5 thousand participants, instead of the promised 50 thousand, were driven to the Kulikovo pole. Representatives of various political parties also came to the meeting, but they carried their own slogans: ’Ukraine without Kuchma’, ’Down with Grinevetsky’, ’Down with law-enforcing ministers’, ’Investigate Gongadze’s case!’, ’We pay taxes to be protected’.
Very soon participants gathered by the authorities left the slogans and dispersed. Meanwhile the power-engaged speakers expressed their love to the President, the crowd shouted: ’Shame to Kuchma’, ’Down with oligarchic parties’, ’We are not obedient domestic brutes’. The official speakers defending the Constitution even declared that operation of the Ukrainian Constitution must be suspended (Mykola Tiukhtiy, PDP), the prosecutor’s office and the Ministry of Interior must be given extraordinary rights by introducing the state of emergency.
Very soon participants gathered by the authorities left the slogans and dispersed. Meanwhile the power-engaged speakers expressed their love to the President, the crowd shouted: ’Shame to Kuchma’, ’Down with oligarchic parties’, ’We are not obedient domestic brutes’. The official speakers defending the Constitution even declared that operation of the Ukrainian Constitution must be suspended (Mykola Tiukhtiy, PDP), the prosecutor’s office and the Ministry of Interior must be given extraordinary rights by introducing the state of emergency.