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Ukraine removes anti-govt. protest camp in Maidan Square

Monday, 22 February 2016 4:02 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 22 February 2016 4:01 PM ]

This image shows a tent set up on the Maidan (Independence) square in Kiev, after a memorial ceremony on February 20, 2016, marking the second anniversary of the bloody coup that ousted president Viktor Yanukovych.

Ukrainian authorities have started removing protesters' tents from the iconic Maidan Square in Kiev amid calls for government change.

Most of the tents were removed on Monday by municipal workers who also cleaned the square.

Anti-government activists set up camp at the famous location on Saturday during protests against the Ukrainian government.

The protesters who had gathered for the mass rally expressed their discontent with the current policies of Ukrainian authorities, denouncing them as “traitors” and blaming them for the ongoing crisis. They called for the creation of a “popular government” and demanded the immediate ouster of President Petro Poroshenko, as well as the dissolution of the parliament and the resignation of Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk.

Saturday’s protests marked the second anniversary of the bloody Euromaidan riots that led to the overthrow of the government of Viktor Yanukovich in 2014, and major unrest in the southern and eastern parts of the country where pro-Russia sentiments prevail.

The protesters also called for the imposition of martial law in the eastern regions of the country, as well as in Crimea, which separated from Ukraine and re-joined Russia following the 2014 referendum.

Ukrainian flags fly behind a man addressing the crowd during a rally on Maidan (Independence) Square in Kiev on February 21, 2016 (AFP Photo)

The Saturday rally ended peacefully with police reporting no major incidents or clashes with the protesters. However, some activists set up tents and lit fires in trash bins claiming they would stay on the square until their demands are met.

More than 100 people are believed to have died during violence in the Ukrainian capital between February 19-21, 2014.

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