A “vyshivanka” parade of activists wearing brightly embroidered Ukrainian folk shirts and blouses has been held in Lvov to mark the 71st anniversary of the Waffen SS Galizien (Halychyna) division.
The marchers, holding SS Halychyna banners, representing a yellow lion with three crowns standing on the hind legs against the blue background, walked from the monument to Ukrainian nationalist leader Stepan Bandera to the monument for victims of the Bolshevik regime and political reprisals, an Interfax correspondent reported.
The organizers wanted to unfurl a banner at the front of the column showing soldiers of the SS Halychyna division and heroes of the “Heavenly Hundred,” killed in central Kiev, but several Maidan self-defense activists and relatives of those killed on Independence Square in Kiev protested and the banner was removed.
The marchers chanted “Glory to Ukraine, Glory of the Heroes!”, “Glory to the Nation, Death to the Enemies!” “East and West are One!” They laid flowers at the monument for victims of political reprisals and held an improvised rally.
About 600 activists participated in the march, according to the police.
Around 200 policemen were deployed to maintain law and order, said chief of the Lvov Police Department Serhiy Zyubanenko.
The march passed off without incident, he said.
