Story of a person participating in the United Ukraine rally in Donetsk on  March 13

Story of a person participating in the United Ukraine rally in Donetsk on  March 13

Story of a person participating in the United Ukraine rally in Donetsk on  March 13

Dear Friends, my name is Gevelev Aleksandr and I would like to tell you about what happened on March 13 th on a Donetsk Square. I think that I can and have all the rights to tell about that since I witnessed most events that took place during the rally and after it.  After the rally, when we were surrounded by two more lines of police cordon, Samooborona Donbassa along with other “defense organizations” (let`s call them that) created their cordon and gave all peaceful citizens a chance to leave. Among those citizens there were elderly people, women and children and also men that were not pugnacious or ready to defend themselves. We held hands and created our cordon and surrounded our group that was leaving slowly. Then, over time, our opponents (if we can say that, of course) started breaking through the police cordon and approaching us. There were different pictures, i.e. metal bars, tasers, bricks flying towards me and near me. These are the things that I can talk about because I saw and experienced them myself. A taser strike was in about one meter from me. There was a simple man that tried to strike us with his taser. And so on.

We defended ourselves, tried to, and fought back. During the gas attack it was most difficult to react since lungs stopped working properly and our group jugged by a van. It was just a van, nothing special. I think it was probably a police van, but there were no signs on it. We started running into the van trying to find a safe place since there were only 50 of us by that time while there were more aggressive fascists (I think we can call them that, because they used fascist methods).

Police tried to not let them get to us, not always successfully, though. When they started breaking through and getting closer, when the guys with metal bars were almost near us, as many as possible of us tried to get in the van. The van was packed. I was one of the last people to get into the van and in this very moment I got hit with a half of brick in the head. (it is probably difficult to see now, but I don`t think I need any stitches it bled a little, not a big deal). We closed the door into the van by hand, they would not close automatically since there were to many people in it. In this very moment bricks flew. The windows did not break from the first hits, just cracked, but from the second hits they just went to smash.  There were lots of people and very little oxygen, that is why when our (again) opponents started throwing smoke grenades and pepper sprays, it was difficult to breath  because of carbonyl and toxic gas and the lungs started failing. Occasionally, we opened sunroof, but in the top of the van there were fire crackers and someone’s feet so we had to close it right away. Near me, directly near me, there was a guy who just fainted because there was not enough air, I think.

Police or anybody else did not send a driver, so we just were closed in this metal box. When it was absolutely nothing to breath with because instead of oxygen there was only gas from smoke grenades and pepper sprays, we decided to leave through the back door. We started breaking through it. We ran around the van when police created (we can say it here) imaginary boundary, they jugged into a protective group, when they protected themselves. They were attacked with bricks, rather powerful fire crackers, bottles and green antiseptic. But it was nothing, because those who went outside the police cordons were beaten with clubs. As you understand those clubs were rather massive. The faces on the other side of the police cordon were uncontrollable, this is to say least. It is not that they wanted just revenge or some political debates, they wanted massacre, deaths, they wanted to destroy those who were against them. But this is choosing words carefully, because there was no logic in their actions. They ordered people Go on Your Knees! From everywhere we heard Go on Your Knees Fascists!, Why Did You Come Here? And this is taking into account that everybody who was there was from Donetsk or Donetsk Oblast. There were no people even from neighboring oblasts.

And then the situation got really complicated and police asked us to go on our knees. Some people did go on their knees, some people just squatted, and some people remained standing. Two guys got on the roof of the van and promised to pour their human wastes on us. Some elderly lady with St. Gerorge`s Ribbon (she seemed quite normal to me, I would never had thought that she had so much hatred to her opponents) was filming us from the window of the van we were just in saying: “Did you finally get what you wanted, freaks?” – I am sorry for this word by word quote. Then, in the moment when several guys between busses lowered their pants to pour their human wastes on our activists, police made a small corridor and our “friends” started running from it.

Even before they started running, about one meter from me a guy was laying; he was covered in blood and was unconscious. Someone shouted: “This guy is dead! Pay attention to it!”, but it was hopeless. Everyone started running. The corridor was closed by our opponents very fast. They started snatching us grabbing clothes. They beat us with their fists, with their feet. Bricks were flying. Whole bricks were flying; please understand that it is not some fairytale. It was nothing when during the protest they threw eggs, bottles and green antiseptic. After that a real fight started. We stared spreading out. After our corridor was blocked, where could we run? So, we started breaking through trying to avoid punches from our “friends” on the other side. Some managed to escape, some did not, and others just fell dead. Everybody tried to save himself as best as he could. But one way or another, this rally was over.

The end of the rally was negative, to say least. Because now we know that in our own country, in our own city you are in danger just because we believe in the power of your country, in the power of Donbass. When the anthem of Donetsk soccer club Shakhtar was playing, and this club has fans that live far from Ukraine, they started throwing eggs into us even more eagerly. When people called for peace and understanding, for unity in the country (and these were the slogans on our rally), we heard just Fascists! Go Away, Banderovtsi! 

The end of it was rather sad, I know about killed and injured that were taken to hospitals. It was very said to me that some of the people who were injured died and this information confirmed, I knew those people, there were well behaved, smart, proud, self-sufficient people, and they respected others and really represented new generation of Ukrainians. They died. They, unfortunately, joined the Heavenly Hundred. They stood to the very end. We stood to the very end too. But you see, there is still this force, we will have to fight against.

If someone from Kyiv hears me, I want you to understand that the problem now is not only in Crimea, but everywhere in Eastern Ukraine. Because the orks (I cannot find another name for them) that were brought here are people without faces, without eyes, they are determined to destroy their enemies (we are enemies for them). I have no doubt that Donetsk will be a free Ukrainian city. But we need to settle the situation we have now.
 

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