You're reading: Ukraine opposition leader calls govt ‘regular fascists’

Ukraine's government has been called "regular fascists" by a speaker during an opposition rally in Donetsk on Friday.

Life expectancy is 67 years in the regions of Donetsk and 72 in the regions of Lviv, Ternopil and Ivano-Frankivsk, Oleh Tiahnybok, leader of the Svoboda nationalist party, told the rally.

“They are regular fascists, because they are annihilating people,” he said.

In closing the meeting, Arseniy Yatseniuk, parliamentary leader of the Fatherland (Batkivschyna) party, proposed that those present sing the national anthem, but accidentally a recording of a Soviet-era song was put on. It ran for 10 seconds before it was switched off and replaced by the anthem tune.

An Interfax-Ukraine reporter said no violence had been recorded during the rally. There was a tight police cordon around the venue, and there were even police patrolling adjoining areas.

Police put the turnout at about 800, whereas Batkivschyna said the event had brought together about 4,000 people.

Yatseniuk, Tiahnybok and other lawmakers spoke from the roof of a minibus. Yatseniuk’s speech included a demand for the removal of President Viktor Yanukovych.