Clash in the center of Kyiv: protest against the LGBTQ+ festival Sunny Bunny ended with police intervention
On Saturday, April 19, a clash took place between law enforcement officers and participants of a protest organized by representatives of the “Prava Molod” organization near the capital’s “Zhovten” cinema, where the Sunny Bunny LGBTQ+ queer film festival is taking place. Activists who advocate so-called “traditional values” came to the rally to express their disagreement with the demonstration of the “Kvirchyk” film program. According to the protesters, this program allegedly “promotes LGBT values among minors.”
As are reported local telegram channels, a significant police force was brought to the scene of the incident – dozens of law enforcement officers and several auto-rickshaws. According to witnesses, the police tried to prevent violations of public order. Despite this, a scuffle broke out between the protesters and the police, during which physical force was used.
Clashes near the cinema became the subject of active discussion on the network. The videos released from the scene of the events showed how the police used force on the participants of the action. Organizers of the protest announced the arrest of several dozen people even before the official start of the action.
Representatives of the “Prava Molod” organization insist that their action was non-violent, the participants were unarmed, did not show aggression and acted within the limits of a legal protest. They said that the police allegedly resorted to illegal actions against the students and other concerned citizens who participated in the action. In addition, representatives of the organization reported that during the stay of the detained persons near the police station, activists of another organization – “Pryama Diya” – took pictures of the detainees and people who tried to help them. According to the protesters, these actions were intended to “de-anonymize” the participants and facilitate their further persecution.
The Podil Department of the National Police of Kyiv does not confirm the detention. Press officer Natalia Krot stated:
“No one is detaining anyone, simply due to the fact that protesters against this film festival have gathered, suspicious people are invited to the police station to establish all the circumstances and their identity.”
According to her, the police are present near the “Zhovten” cinema as part of ensuring law and order, and if violations are recorded, they will prepare appropriate administrative materials. At the same time, at the time of the police comment, no violations were recorded. Nataliya Krot also reported that law enforcement officers will be on duty near the cinema during the entire period of the Sunny Bunny festival – until April 25. According to her, the heightened security measures are also due to the celebration of Easter.
The Sunny Bunny festival takes place in Kyiv from April 18 to 25 and is being held for the first time as a separate event, not related to the traditional Molodist film festival. This is the first full-fledged queer film festival in Ukraine. The dates of its holding coincided with Easter, which caused criticism in social networks. The organizers explained that the dates were agreed in advance according to the international festival calendar.
