Over 60 people gathered outside the Ukraine embassy in London on May 2, to mark the first anniversary of the Odessa massacre when dozens of people were killed as fascist thugs attacked an anti-Maidan protest camp and set the Trade Unions House on fire. No one has faced trial for these murders, and so its anniversary was marked around the world yesterday including in London.
The picket in London was organised by Solidarity with Anti-fascist Resistance in Ukraine (SARU) outside the Ukrainian embassy in Holland Park, West London. SARU produced a special banner to mark the occasion (pictured, on the right).
Alex Gordon from the rail workers union, RMT, spoke about the illegal coup in Kiev last year and the burning of the Trade Union house in Odessa. He explained why it is important for people in Britain to demand justice for Odessa. He highlighted the significance of the date of the massacre 2nd May, for this was the date in 1933 that Hitler’s storm troopers shut down and in many cases burned down the Trade Union offices in Germany. He said that the defeat of fascism was only temporary and that we had to fight it again today.
“We must demand solidarity with those who oppose fascism in Ukraine and justice for the people of Odessa killed for exercising their rights to freedom of expression” he said. He appealed to “socialists, trade unionists and those who defend democratic rights” to express their outrage. He added that “British people should be demanding that the BBC stops telling lies and tells the truth about a massacre”.
