Ukrainian parliament to debate legalization of OUN-UPA on October 14
Tass News Agency | Oct. 6, 2014 |The Verkhovna Rada will debate a draft law legalizing the OUN-UPA nationalistic organization and a possible ban on the Communist Party, a lawmaker said.
Oleh Tyahnibok, head of the parliamentary faction of the radical nationalistic party Svoboda (Freedom), said on his Facebook page that the draft law suggested recognizing OUN-UPA (Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists — Ukrainian Insurgent Army) members as “freedom fighters.”
UPA fought mostly against the Armia Krajowa of Poland, the Red Army and Soviet guerrilla fighters in Western Ukraine. The OUN-UPA men, whom people began to call the Bandera men, by the name of their leader, are guilty of numerous crimes. For example, they physically destroyed some 100,000 Poles, Czechs and Jews in the Western Volyn Region. Thousands of Ukrainians, who refused to cooperate with OUN, were also brutally murdered. For all those crimes, as well as for terrorist activities on the Polish territory before the war, Bandera is now regarded as a criminal and terrorist in Poland.
Ukrainian auxiliary police and Tatars were complicit in extermination of 1.5 million Jews
Verkhovna Rada to consider bill to recognize UPA members as war veterans
On Tuesday afternoon, an estimated 8,000 far-right activists gathered at the Ukrainian Parliament (Verkhovna Rada) as MPs considered a bill that would recognize members of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) as war veterans. Frustrated by parliament’s decision, protesters then attacked police with rocks, firecrackers, and chains.
Violent clashes outside parliament forced Speaker Aleksandr Turchinov to cancel the Rada session halfway through. Because of the “provocative actions by young people,” parliamentarians failed to consider a number of bills.
“It was reported that they started setting tires on fire. I call on the people doing it: such actions will not help pass this law. You will make part of the members leave the hall and there won’t be enough to vote. Those who organized those people, please, call the street to order and stop interfering with the work of the parliament,” Turchinov said, as quoted by Ria Novosti.
Radical protesters clash with Interior Ministry and law enforcement members on the Day of Ukrainian Cossacks, marked by activists and supporters of the All-Ukrainian Union Svoboda (Freedom) Party and far-right activists and nationalists to honour the role of the movement in the history of Ukraine, during a rally near the parliament building in Kiev.
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