Protesters assembled because of new laws that, according to Kyiv Post, stifle the media, hamper citizen access to information, and criminalize defamation.
According to the Independent, what began as a peaceful day of speeches against the new legislation turned violent on Sunday night, when protestors attacked police with fire extinguishers, flares, and fireworks in an attempt to get to the Parliament building.
Kyiv Post reports that more than 100 people have been injured in the protests.
Under the newly passed laws, organizations or individuals who offer their facilities or equipment for “unsanctioned protests” face a 10-day sentence or fines up to US $1,275. Those who install tents, stages, or amplifiers in public places without authorization face a US $640 fine or up to 15 days in detention. Blocking government buildings now carries a 10-year sentence, reports TIME.
Critics say that the new legislation, which was hurriedly passed by supporters of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, specifically targets anti-government EuroMaidan protesters. The EuroMaidan mass demonstrations began after Yanukovych refused to sign a free-trade deal with the European Union, an action interpreted as a move to strengthen Ukrainian ties with Russia.
According to BBC, during the rally Rear Admiral Ihor Tenyukh said, "Tomorrow the regime will enslave you too. Therefore we are calling on you to fulfill your military oath of loyalty to the Ukrainian people and not to the authorities who have gone off the rails." Yanukovych removed Tenyukh, a former commander of the Ukrainian Navy, from his post in 2010.
Yanukovych, meanwhile, said he would meet with opposition leaders and pro-EU protestors to work out a solution.
According to the BBC, opposition leader and former world heavyweight boxing champion Vitali Klitschko confirmed the meeting would take place, and told Ukraine's Hromadske TV, "We must use every opportunity to resolve the crisis peacefully.”
He also warned, however, against a "scenario of force," and said that he "didn't rule out the possibility of a civil war" reports BBC.
