Copyright © 2021 Euromaidanpress.com

The work of Euromaidan Press is supported by the International Renaissance Foundation

When referencing our materials, please include an active hyperlink to the Euromaidan Press material and a maximum 500-character extract of the story. To reprint anything longer, written permission must be acquired from [email protected].

Privacy and Cookie Policies.

Language bill must be approved to stop aggression against Ukrainian, says writer

Yuriy Andrukhovych, poet, writer, translator
Source: Obozrevatel
Source: Gazeta.ua
Translated by: Christine Chraibi
On January 17, Serhiy Trushkin, a Euromaidan activist was attacked and severely beaten in Pryluky, Chernihiv Oblast, when he asked the saleslady to serve him in Ukrainian.

Trushkin reported on FB that the saleslady called up her husband who attacked Trushkin on the street and punched him violently in the face, causing an eye hemorrhage and inflicting severe injuries necessitating numerous stitches.

Euromaidan activist Serhiy Trushkin
Euromaidan activist Serhiy Trushkin

Yuriy Andrukhovych, Ukrainian writer, poet and translator, believes that the attack on the Euromaidan activist is not the first example of discrimination against the Ukrainian language:

“First, I’m struck by the fact that both violence and aggression are always shown whenever there’s an incident involving the Ukrainian language. I don’t recall any cases where someone speaking Russian was attacked and beaten up. This is my first conclusion.

Second, this leads me to my next assertion, namely that there’s a lot of aggressive resistance to the Ukrainian language, and, in my opinion, there’s only one way to deal with it. The Verkhovna Rada must stop pretending that the new language bill, which in itself is a very good thing, is not top priority, or that it’s not the right time to bring it up in parliament. In short, our deputies should stop postponing its approval and move to adopt such a new, modern European law. The bill exists, so now it must be imposed within all spheres of our society.

After all, just because a law has been approved and signed doesn’t mean that it automatically works in society!

Third, a person who fails to obey such a law should be punished to a certain extent: lose his/her job or be duly fined. Like any other law, if it’s enforced, such a law must correct the situation for the better and establish justice.

That’s all I have to say…”

Source: Obozrevatel
Source: Gazeta.ua
Translated by: Christine Chraibi
You could close this page. Or you could join our community and help us produce more materials like this.  We keep our reporting open and accessible to everyone because we believe in the power of free information. This is why our small, cost-effective team depends on the support of readers like you to bring deliver timely news, quality analysis, and on-the-ground reports about Russia's war against Ukraine and Ukraine's struggle to build a democratic society. A little bit goes a long way: for as little as the cost of one cup of coffee a month, you can help build bridges between Ukraine and the rest of the world, plus become a co-creator and vote for topics we should cover next. Become a patron or see other ways to support. Become a Patron!
Total
0
Shares
Related Posts