Turning the pages back... July 28, 1989 (07/24/05)

Turning the pages back...

July 28, 1989

Sixteen years ago, a roundtable meeting on the issue of Ukrainian national symbols brought together representatives of the Kyiv's democratic movements and the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR and other officials of the Communist Party of Ukraine took place on July 28, 1989, at the offices of the Soviet Peace Committee in Kyiv, reported the London-based Ukrainian Press Agency.

Represented were the Ukrainian National-Democratic League (UNDL), the Popular Movement of Ukraine for Perebudova (Rukh) and the independent journal Ukrainian Time (Ukrainskyi Chas). The officials included representatives of the Ukrainian Supreme Soviet, Ukrainian Minister of Justice Volodymyr Zaichuk, several historians and a representative of the Kyiv city committee of the Communist Party.

The UNDL presented a list of four demands to the republican leadership: ensure an objective explanation in the mass media of the history of Ukrainian national symbols, such as the blue-and-yellow flag and the trident; warn journalists that the use of slanderous phrases against national symbols will not be tolerated; introduce into the legislative agenda of the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR the question of a review of the law of June 5, 1981, which prohibits the public display of any national symbols other than official symbols; and conduct scholarly research and a broad public discussion, and secure passage by the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR of a well-founded law regarding the display of national symbols, as well as halt all acts of repression against private individuals who display national symbols.

While the officials present reacted positively to the first two proposals made by the UNDL and Justice Minister Zaichuk even assured the activists, "Don't anticipate any decree that would prohibit Ukrainian national symbols," a heated discussion took place over the third and fourth demands. In response to these demands, Mr. Zaichuk was quoted as having said: "As long as there is a law, the militia will function in accordance with the law, thereby viewing the public display of national symbols as a disruption of public order and resorting to appropriate means."

As a result, members of the UNDL held a daylong hunger strike the next day to protest such "lawlessness common for a totalitarian regime" and violations of right national self-determination. The protest was held in front of the Supreme Soviet building with some 30 individuals taking part. The UNDL activists were also supported by hundreds of Kyiv residents, the local Ukrainian Helsinki Union branch and members of Rukh, who gathered around the protesters.

The local militia and a special forces unit attempted to break up the gathering, beating up and detaining over a dozen people. Determined to put a stop to continued harassment of individuals displaying national symbols, the demonstrators declared that they would continue their hunger strike.

Source: "Meeting, hunger strike in capital focus on Ukraine's national symbols," The Ukrainian Weekly, August 6, 1989, Vol. LVII, No. 32.

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