The New Year’s tree on Maidan, lushly decorated with Ukrainian flags and numerous placards, also sports dozens of flags of different countries – symbolic of the international support that the month-long EuroMaidan demonstrations have inspired.
The idea for “international
Maidan” on Independence Square came from 22-year-old Lviv native Markiyan
Matsekh, a manager at the IT company. He put up a blue tent in front of the
central post office and hung out simple signs that said “International Tent”
and “We Speak English.”
“I was wondering how
international this movement on Maidan is,” said Matsekh. “In fact, it turned
out to be very international.”
Some 200 citizens of different
countries showed up in his tent last weekend. Some of them were tourists,
people on business trips, expatriates. Others came to see EuroMaidan.
Canadian businessman Steve, who
refused to give his full name out of fear of becoming persona non-grate by
authorities, donated Hr 5,000 to the cause. He participated in a rally in
Kherson and then came to Kyiv with his family and friends carrying both
Ukrainian and Canadian flags.
“I came because of my strong
beliefs in accordance with the Maidan for solidarity,” the 49-year-old
businessman said. “I share people’s demands for diminution of corruption,
diminution of the negative influence of certain oligarchs on the country, the capacity
to travel freely without the actual complexity … and the end of election
manipulations.”
Steve said he has a Ukrainian
wife and an IT business in Canada and Ukraine.
Mohammed Albaba, a 30-year-old
Lebanese freelance journalist and an entrepreneur who has been living in
Kharkiv for the last six years, participated in rallies near governmental
buildings and the Presidential Administration. He helped old people and
volunteered in the international tent by giving information about Maidan for
other foreigners.
“After my experience of living in
Ukraine I founded that the Ukrainian
people are so kind and lovely while the political group who control the country
are very bad,” Albaba explained. “For example I had a fast food shop in Kharkov
and I couldn’t get a local document because a group of police which control the
area pushed me to pay for them.”
London native Tom Marsden came to Maidan
because he is interested in history and the former Soviet Union and wanted to
document what is happening in Kyiv by taking photos and writing articles.
“It was very exciting for me, I
had a sense that I was in the middle of an historic event,” Marsden said. “I
was most impressed by the solidarity and togetherness amongst the opposition
movement. People seemed to be looking after each other – volunteering, offering
food, hot tea. There was a festive atmosphere, high spirits. It seemed like a
national celebration.”
He said he supports Ukraine moving closer to Europe as it would
offer greater protection of human rights for Ukrainians, better living
standards, more job opportunities and access to education.
Russian citizens have been also
noticed on Maidan. In contrast with their president, Vladimir Putin, some of
them do not want Ukraine to join Customs Union with Russia.
“Of course it is up to the Ukrainian
citizens but I would be very glad if the agreement with the EU was signed,
because this is a movement forward, towards more civilized society and common
human values,” said Maria Volodko, 49, manager of small music production
business from Ramenskoye town in Moscow Oblast. She decided to see EuroMaidan with
“her own eyes but through the eyes of Russian television.”
Some people combined their deep
solidarity with Ukrainians with criticism.
“Of course I would be pleased if the
Ukrainians joined the EU,” said Mathilde Gimelli, 28, a travel writer and former
human resources officer from Nantes, France. “I liked the people here, and the
city is so nice! At the same time I would like the state to do a huge effort.
No more corruption! It is well known in all over Europe that Ukrainian
policeman would stop you every 5 kilometer and “ask” for some money.”
Originally, Gimelli planned to
visit Odesa ‘to put some soul’ in her book where she mentions the Black Sea
port city. But when she heard world news on Ukraine she decided to check what
is happening on Maidan. “For me, you need lots of bravery to dare facing Russia
like Ukrainians do today. And I wanted to understand it.” Gimelly came without
proper clothes, but people on Independence Square, where she spent the whole
day, gave her a warm coat and a chair next to a fire, offered her food and tea
with spices.
Diana Weinhold, 48, an American
citizen and associate professor from London School of Economics, came to Kyiv
to attend a three-day academic conference. Along with her colleagues, she
bought little ribbons to tie on her jackets and headed to Kyiv’s central square
in the evenings.
“I don’t know enough about
Ukraine to have a strong opinion about whether these protests will be
successful, or just the beginning of a longer story, but of course I support
the Ukrainian people’s efforts,” Weinhold said.
During her internship in Kyiv,
26-year-old Miriam Bürer from Freiburg,
Germany, attended several rallies in Ukraine’s capital to watch what is going
on.
She thinks that it is important
for demonstrators to negotiate with the government. “The government won’t
leave,” Bürer said. “So people on Maidan and the opposition parties should
really develop a strategy how to solve the situation because the occupation and
demonstration cannot or probably won’t last for the whole next year. So instead
of demanding the government leave, maybe it would be good to start again
discussions about the EU association and the visa liberalization that could be
reached in the next future.”
Bürer said she cannot call the
opposition Svoboda Party pro-European. “I don’t like the nationalistic slogans,
but I also think that it is good, that people demonstrate and that they just
don’t overlook anymore what is going wrong,” she said.
Oksana Lyachynska is a
freelance journalist and former Kyiv Post staff writer.
