On November 29th, roughly 300 people gathered in protest of recent far-right attacks on local clubs in the Kyiv neighborhood of Podil.
The protest began around 6:30 PM local time in front of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Demonstrators gathered in response to what they perceive as inaction from local authorities after a spate of attacks from far-right hate groups.
On November 26th, Kyiv club HVLV was attacked by 15-20 assailants in sports jackets and balaclavas per Resident Advisor. A bouncer was pepper-sprayed while the attackers chanted anti-LGBTQ+ slurs and smashed windows. Cards with QR codes leading to a far-right Telegram group were left at the scene.
Protesters remained in front of the ministry for around 90 minutes while chanting and holding with slogans such as “Make Podil Safe Again,” “We Dance Together/We Fight Together,” and “Why Do Sexy People (Me) Have To Suffer From Cops & Far Rights.” Police were present to keep the peace as a counter-protest of about 60 far-right members took place across the street.
One of the protest organizers, Kateryna Voychuk, told Resident Advisor that Kyiv’s chief of police and a representative of the Minister of Internal Affairs contacted them ahead of the protest. “They were deeply concerned and promised to take control of all issues,” she said.
