Translated by Ollie Richardson & Angelina Siard
00:02:39
24/07/2017
strana.ua
During a live transmission of the programme “Directly” on the ZIK TV channel the blogger and political scientist Yury Romanenko [pro-Maidan – ed] was asked to leave the studio for the fact that he refused to speak Ukrainian. The host Ostap Drozdov demanded that the political scientist uses the Ukrainian language during his speech.
Romanenko agreed in the beginning, however he later switched to Russian. In turn, the leader asked Romanenko to speak in Ukrainian. The blogger refused: “No, I do not want to speak Ukrainian”.
“Then I will ask you to hand over the microphone and to leave the studio,” said Drozdov, after which Romanenko left the broadcast.
Romanenko, who was expelled from the air of the Zik channel for failuring to speak in Ukrainian, commented on the scandalous incident on his Facebook page.
“And why can’t I speak in Russian? Why do I have to speak in Ukrainian under pressure? Because someone wants this? I did not demand that Drozdov speaks Russian? No. I spoke that language in which for me it was more convenient in the context of a broadcast. My right is guaranteed by legislation. What is the problem? If you consider that someone has no right to speak this or that language, then tomorrow you can arrive at the idea that this person has no right to live for the same reasons. That’s why I consider Drozdov committed a horrific act, which demands careful public analysis, censure, and punishment within the framework of Ukrainian and international legislation,” said Romanenko.
What irony that one supporter of Maidan expelled another supporter of Maidan because of the latter’s desire to speak in the language of the “aggressor country”…
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