KIEV, Ukraine - About 100,000 people rallied in Ukraine’s capital Sunday to demand the ouster of the president and his Cabinet as mass anti-government protests entered their second month.
The rallies were sparked by President Viktor Yanukovych’s decision last month to choose ties with Russia over integration with the 28-nation European Union.
After a violent police crackdown on a peaceful rally, the demonstrators turned against Yanukovych himself and have transformed Kiev into a giant protest encampment.
“We will create such a hell for the authorities that the ground will burn under their feet,” said Oleh Tyahnybok, head of the opposition nationalist party Svoboda.
Yanukovych’s concessions of releasing jailed opposition activists and suspending several top officials over the crackdown have failed to end the protests. After several attempts to clear the protesters by force drew condemnation from the West, he now appears set on waiting them out.
Opposition leader Vitali Klitschko urged the crowd to spend New Year’s and the following weeks on Kiev’s Independence Square to force Yanukovych into calling early presidential and parliamentary elections.
The movement is also trying to widen opposition support in the east of the country, which remains largely loyal to Yanukovych.
While Sunday’s demonstration was smaller than previous weekends, it was still a strong showing for a protest movement that has entered its second month in the frigid cold.
Front Section, Pages 2 on 12/23/2013