Clashes between riot police and protesters erupted in Kiev on Tuesday as Ukraine’s parliament gave initial approval to a law that will make Russian an official language and threatens to split the country along geographical and cultural lines.
Up to 9,000 demonstrators gathered during the debates on the law in the Ukrainian capital, one of the focal points for the Euro 2012 football tournament which starts on Friday.
After news emerged that 234 deputies in the 450-seat chamber had voted in favour of moving the legislation onto a second reading scuffles erupted on the streets outside the parliament buildings. Eggs and bottles were thrown by protesters at riot police who had cordoned off areas of the city, according to media reports.
Language is a powerful issue in Ukraine where Russian is widely spoken in the eastern parts of the country, including large cities such as Donetsk, which will host England’s match against France in the tournament’ next Monday.
A group of protesters opposed to the law tried to force their way onto Kiev’s Independence Square that will be a giant “fan zone” for the tournament, that Ukraine is hosting jointly with Poland.
They were countered by riot police but some UEFA signs were trampled by the crowd during the confrontation, Reuters reported.
Some protesters chanted “if there’s no language, there won’t be a euro,” linking a potential resurgence of Russian with a diminishing of Ukraine’s chances of closer ties with the European Union.
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gdi Russia leave Ukraine alone
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Oh, shit.
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