Protesters have taken to the streets of Kiev in Ukraine in opposition to police brutality against those from the music industry.
People gathered in Kiev’s main clubbing district on Friday the 21st of May in response to the reported violence from the city’s police.
Those demonstrating gathered outside of the main police station, and gathered in a crowd that blocked the road while also playing loud music.
Earlier in the week, there had been an incident where police violently attacked and detained a musician, while onlookers made a video and took pictures with their phones to document what they believed to be an unlawful arrest.
Close to midnight on the 19th of May, police officers stopped Dmitry Bugaychuk because they felt he looked suspicious. Onlookers who saw the arrest witnessed the police break his nose, slam him to the floor and then start choking him without him doing anything to resist.
After the attack from the police, he was then detained for a period of three or four hours before his lawyer arranged for his release.
Protesters are calling for the head of the local Podilsky Police Department to resign and stop implementing what they believe to be illegal searches and police raids.
Nataliia Voitova is the organiser of the rave, and she gave a statement to Resident Advisor saying: “In Ukraine, the police are crazy violent and super corrupted,” then continued “They want money.” She believes that in this case marijuana was planted on Bugaychuk.
Police in Kiev have been known to force partygoers and venue owners to pay bribes if caught with drugs, and blackmail people to say imprisonment is the only other option.
H/T: Resident Advisor
