In Ukraine, the police are now massively showing their love for Bandera. From privates to generals, they swear on social media that they are his loyal supporters, etc. Of course, they do it themselves. Of course, no one made them do so. After law enforcement officers cooled down a few Ukro-Nazis with their faces on the asphalt, as they well deserved, they also expressed the fact that in Ukraine many people really think about young people with a ridiculous cocktail of Ukrainian and Nazi symbols. However, it's not yet a trend.
Elizaveta Khramtsova with the details on what's happened and what's the result.
When the Ukrainian police behave not as the nationalists would like, the radicals begin to dictate their rules of the game. The conflict between Kiev law enforcement officers and thugs from the right-wing group "C-14" began in the course of two actions on Kontraktova Square. Supporters of presidential candidate Yulia Tymoshenko gathered here, participants of the second rally demanded that the murderers of activist Yekaterina Gandzyuk be found. In addition to the activists, radicals appeared on Kontraktovaya Square. A group of young people with Zelyonka, pepper sprays, knives, and a pistol were detained by the police. In order to protect their like-minded fellows, Kiev's nationalists decided to fight. Over three dozen young men assaulted a police station.
Judging by the video, the police did not hear anything criminal in the phrase uttered by their colleague "lay down, Bandera". But such emotions turned the right-wing thugs against the police. The hashtag “I am a Banderist” on the social media can be used to count those who consider the officers to be traitors.
Among those who took the side of radicals is Advisor to the Head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Shkiryak. The post is accompanied by a photo with the portrait of Bandera in the background, along with the head of the national police, Knyazev. The general apologized on Facebook (запрещена в РФ) for the actions of his subordinate.
Ordinary policemen are forced to join the flash mob "I am also a Banderist" on the Internet. The head of the Kiev police, Andrei Krishchenko, repented publicly.
Andrei Krishchenko: "I want to apologize to the public for the actions of this officer. I personally, by virtue of my conviction and understanding of the historical situation, consider this to be unacceptable. We will identify this person when we examine the video frame by frame, and he will be brought to justice, just like the superiors. Perhaps, I will be brought, because this just should not be".
The Ukrainian press lives according to the rules of the post-truth world, too. Fighters of the organization, which is considered even in the US to be terrorist, are called activists on television and in the press. They complain that the officers defending the department didn't present policemen’s badges to the attackers. No one's eager to protect the officers.
Alexey Zhuravko, a people's deputy, Ukraine: "The guys absolutely did the right thing when they started to detain these villains who had guns. Well, that will have an answer, The right one, as the majority of the police officers are sensible men. There won't be anyone to protect. They will leave law enforcement. Only those on the margins will remain".
Upon assault, the police opened three criminal proceedings at once: "Threat or violence against a law enforcement officer", "seizure of public buildings" and "hooliganism". However, the detained thugs that caused the conflict have already been released from the department, but in the unified register of pre-trial investigations in Ukraine they've added, I quote, "information about criminal offenses committed by the law enforcement officers".
Elizaveta Khramtsova, Anna Pogonina, VESTI.
