Far-right radicals attacked a rally for transgender rights in Ukraine's capital on Sunday leaving at least three people injured, including a Canadian journalist who was covering the demonstration.

A crowd of more than 50 people had gathered to mark the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance which is observed on Nov. 20 when they were attacked, the Kyiv Post newspaper reported.

"Radicals started moving towards LGBT people, so the police started to physically shove us into the metro and told everybody that the rally has ended," Sofiia Lapina, a member of KyivPride who attended the rally told the newspaper.

Two women were pepper strayed and an international journalist, Canadian freelance reporter Michael Colbourne, was assaulted, Lapina said.

Journalist <a href="https://twitter.com/ColborneMichael?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ColborneMichael</a> took punch to face, sustained cut & had glasses broken by far-right radicals while covering today’s transgender rights rally as police not only stood by but physically removed activists from city-sanctioned event. cc <a href="https://twitter.com/pressfreedom?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@pressfreedom</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/RSF_EECA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RSF_EECA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/OSCE_RFoM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OSCE_RFoM</a> <a href="https://t.co/UZyn7aKdee">pic.twitter.com/UZyn7aKdee</a> —@ChristopherJM

On Twitter, Colbourne said the attack which led to cuts on his face and a fat lip is "further proof that this country has a huge far-right problem."

<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/thread?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#thread</a> about the pathetic display today at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/transmarchukraine?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#transmarchukraine</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BC%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%882018?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#трансмарш2018</a>, and, along with the broken glasses and cuts on my face and fat lip, further proof that this country has a huge far-right problem. Stop downplaying it. <a href="https://t.co/iFuUaLdZSf">https://t.co/iFuUaLdZSf</a> —@ColborneMichael

Ukrainian police said in a statement that they prevented a "provocation" during the demonstration by separating LGBT activists from far-right counter-protesters.

The attack underscores the power of the far-right in former Soviet states and other parts of Europe, analysts said.

"Spirituality of our country is a priority. If there is no spirituality, then Ukraine will collapse completely … These are our beliefs," Anatolity Polyukhovych, an opponent of transgender rights, told Reuters.

He said counter-protesters rallied to "talk to these transgender people" to convince them not to demonstrate. "If they will still do so, we call on people to stop it physically."

Criminal and hateful actions by far-right radicals deserve an effective and dissuasive policing response. <a href="https://twitter.com/NPU_GOV_UA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NPU_GOV_UA</a> have shown they can do it at past LGBT events; they need to reassert commitment to media protection and human rights for all. <a href="https://t.co/6b4ATaW4zG">https://t.co/6b4ATaW4zG</a> —@WaschukCanUA

Ukraine's government has increased support for LGBT rights since a Western-backed leadership came to power in 2014, but critics say homophobic attitudes remain relatively widespread, Reuters reported in June following an attempt by far-right groups to block a gay pride march.

"Criminal and hateful actions by far-right radicals deserve an effective and dissuasive policing response," Canada's ambassador to Ukraine Roman Waschuck said on Twitter. Ukrainian police, he added, "need to reassert commitment to media protection and human rights for all."</s>KYIV -- Activists for transgender rights were forced to disband a demonstration in Kyiv on November 18 after counterdemonstrators assaulted several protesters and attacked a Canadian journalist trying to cover the event.

The legally sanctioned LGBT-rights demonstration was meant to be a march through the streets of the Ukrainian capital coinciding with International Transgender Remembrance Day on November 18.

But RFE/RL's correspondent in Kyiv, Christopher Miller, reports that about 40 LGBT rights activists who arrived at the gathering point in Shevchenko Park were forced to relocate to a nearby location after about 100 "religious radicals and far-right groups" arrived in the park for a counterdemonstration.

Miller says the counterdemonstrators included members of the far-right groups Tradition and Order, Right Sector, and the Religious National Front.

Miller says LGBT rights activists who moved their gathering place by two blocks to a location near Kyiv’s University metro station were followed by a small group of counterdemonstrators who confronted them by shouting slurs and setting off smoke bombs.

Miller says Ukrainian police did not make any effort to remove the counterdemonstrators and, instead, shoved the LGBT rights activists through turnstiles of the metro station while swearing at them and shouting "hateful slurs."

Two female activists who remained on the street were physically assaulted by the counterdemonstrators, Miller said.

Canadian journalist Michael Colborne was also punched in the face by the counterdemonstrators near the metro station, suffering a swollen lip and cuts on his face from his broken glasses.

Colborne tweeted that the attack against him was “further proof” that Ukraine “has a hug far-right problem,” and that Ukrainian officials should “stop downplaying it.”

Based on reporting by RFE/RL correspondent Christopher Miller in Kyiv</s>Activists for transgender rights were forced to disband a demonstration in Kyiv after counter-demonstrators assaulted several protesters and attacked a Canadian journalist trying to cover the event.The organizers of the event criticized Ukrainian police for failing to protect about 40 lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights activists who had planned to gather in Shevchenko Park on November 18 for a legally sanctioned march through the streets of the Ukrainian capital coinciding with International Transgender Remembrance Day.The demonstrators, who were holding rainbow flags and banners with slogans such as "Transphobia must be stopped," were forced to relocate to a nearby location after about 100 "religious radicals and far-right groups" arrived in the park for a counterdemonstration.The counterdemonstrators included members of the far-right groups Tradition and Order, Right Sector, and the Religious National Front.LGBT rights activists who moved their gathering place by two blocks to a location near Kyiv's University subway station were followed by a small group of counter-demonstrators who confronted them by shouting slurs and setting off smoke bombs.Ukrainian police move on transgender rights activists after their rally in a Kyiv park was disrupted by far-right radicals on November 18.Ukrainian police did not try to remove the counterdemonstrators, but shoved the LGBT rights activists through turnstiles of the subway station while swearing at them and shouting slurs.The police officers then blocked the entrance to protesters to avoid further clashes.An RFE/RL correspondent saw two female activists who remained on the street being physically assaulted by the counterdemonstrators.The two women were attacked with pepper spray and were given first aid at the scene, according to the AFP news agency.Police said they have opened an investigation into the attack on Colborne, classifying the assault as hooliganism, and said officers were searching for the two suspects.Canadian journalist Michael Colborne was also assaulted with pepper spray and punched in the face by two counterdemonstrators near the metro station, suffering a swollen lip and cuts on his face from his broken glasses.Colborne tweeted that the attack against him was "further proof" that Ukraine "has a huge far-right problem," and that Ukrainian officials should "stop downplaying it.""Ukraine today: National Police opted to protect the right for (peaceful) assembly of far-rights and traditionalist[s] instead of Trans*march event," Ruslana Panukhnyk, executive director of Kyiv Pride and one of the organizers of the march, wrote on Facebook.In a tweet later on November 18, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Kateryna Zelenko said that "attacks on journalists, like any manifestations of intolerance and violence, are considered unacceptable. We are awaiting the results of the investigation by law enforcement organs."Olena Shevchenko, director of the Ukrainian LGBT rights NGO Insight, said in a post on her Facebook page that "Ukraine seems under control of ultra-radicals."In June, no serious incidents occurred when thousands of activists marched to mark an annual celebration of gay and lesbian rights that had been marred by violence in the past.Police dispersed far-right protesters ahead of that march and detained more than 50 members of radical groups.</s>Two activists have been attacked with pepper spray in Kiev during a transgender rights march that was interrupted by dozens of far-right protesters.

About 30 people were taking part in the demonstration in the Ukraine capital, holding rainbow flags and banners with slogans including “Transphobia must be stopped” and “If you stay silent, they will come after you too”.

The far-right protesters lit smoke bombs and threw them into the crowd, an Agence France-Presse journalist at the scene said.

The two women attacked with pepper spray were given first aid at the scene, according to the correspondent.

Police led the activists into a subway station and blocked the entrance to protesters to avoid further clashes.

“Today’s events have demonstrated that the level far-right radical aggression and violence is increasing in Ukraine,” the organisers of the march wrote on Facebook.

The Canadian journalist Michael Colborne posted on Twitter that he had been punched in the face by a far-right radical while covering the rally.

Homophobia is still commonplace in post-Soviet Ukraine, even if Kiev authorities have allowed gay pride marches to take place, in contrast to neighbouring Russia.

Transgender rights marches have taken place in previous years.

Police detained more than 50 far-right activists who tried to disrupt a gay pride march in Kiev this summer. Around 5,000 people took part in that event amid heightened security.</s>Ukrainian activists rallied in support of transgender rights on Sunday prior to the celebration of Transgender Day of Remembrance later in the week, an epa-efe photojournalist reported.

In anticipation of the remembrance day on Nov. 20, a group of activists in the capital Kiev took part in a protest to advocate for the rights of transgender people and to commemorate the 325 transgender people that have been killed in the last year globally.</s>Ultra-nationalist mobsters thwarted a transgender parade in the Ukrainian capital Kiev, spraying tear gas at participants and brawling with riot police who apparently failed to protect the gathering, local media reported.

Ukrainian LGBT activists planned to march through downtown Kiev on Sunday, but the event – intended to commemorate transgender victims of hate crime – never took place. As people began to gather outside one of the city’s metro stations, they were confronted by far-right radicals, who had previously threatened to target the parade.

At one point, a nationalist mobster used pepper spray on the LGBT crowd, injuring two people, according to local media.

The standoff became more violent when the radicals began throwing smoke bombs at the activists. The attackers were also heard yelling nationalist slogans such as “Glory to the nation, death to the enemies,” and “Ukraine above all.”

There was a large police presence at the event, but when the situation became more tense, the security forces seemed incapable of separating the two groups.

The event in support of transgender people coincided with a massive counter-demonstration organized by radicals in central Kiev. In the middle of the far-right rally, an unknown assailant attacked a reporter from Ukraine’s NewsOne outlet, spitting in the man’s face live on air.

In a separate incident last September, a female NewsOne reporter was hit in the face in Kiev, while reporting on another right-wing protest.

Far-right groups, which played a key role in the violent 2014 coup in Ukraine, don’t seem to be losing their influence amid worsening economic downturn and radicalization of the country’s politics.

The ultra-nationalist thugs have no qualms about using violence against those who they consider enemies, including LGBT activists, ethnic minorities and media representatives, who they claim support Russia.

As Ukraine is seeking closer ties with Europe, the country’s authorities have officially pledged their support for sexual minorities, and have advocated LGBT rights.

Previously, the Ukrainian parliament approved an anti-discrimination law banning sexual-orientation discrimination at work, but those measures seem to have had little impact on the ground.

No LGBT public event in the country occurs without provocation by nationalists. A gay parade in Kiev this June was called off after just 20 minutes, as more than a hundred radicals tried to attack the activists. They shouted “Shame on you” and “Ukraine is no Sodom,” as they clashed with police, resulting in more than 50 arrests.

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A planned transgender-rights rally in Kyiv was disbanded after far-right counterdemonstrators assaulted several of the event's participants on November 18. The radicals used tear gas against two female activists and assaulted Canadian journalist Michael Colborne, who was covering the protest.</s>Police in Kiev have been accused of siding with violent, far-right demonstrators after transgender rights activists and journalists were pushed by Ukrainian police into a metro station and forced to end a rally on November 18. RFE/RL’s Christopher Miller reported that counter-protesters “assaulted several protesters and attacked a Canadian journalist.” Both Miller and the journalist in question, Michael Colborne, tweeted that Colborne had been punched in the face by far-right demonstrators. Police said they were investigating the attack as an act of “hooliganism.” The transgender rights demonstrators had originally gathered at Shevchenko Park ahead of a planned march to mark International Transgender Remembrance Day but were forced to move towards the University metro station after the arrival of the counter-protesters, RFE/RL said. A small group of counter-protesters then followed the LGBT activists to the new location. According to RFE/RL, police did not try to remove the counter-protesters “but shoved the LGBT rights activists through turnstiles of the metro station while swearing at them and shouting slurs.” Journalist Natalie Vikhrov, who shot this footage, said: “Police failed in providing protection for #transmarchukraine despite calls from rights groups, inc @Amnesty_UA for law enforcement to protect participants of the march on the eve of the event.” Ruslana Panukhnyk, executive director of Kyiv Pride, wrote on Facebook: “National Police opted to protect the right to (peaceful) assembly of far-rights and traditionalist instead of Trans*march event.” Olena Shevchenko of Insight, an LGBT activist group in Ukraine, also posted on Facebook, saying, “Police didn’t protect us” and that “Ukraine seems under control of ultra-radicals.” Ukraine’s National Police issued a statement on the rally, saying that police, “in order to avoid conflict, divided the participants.” The statement also said a gas canister was fired at the University metro station and that at least two people were injured. Michael Schaaf, the director of the Ukraine office of human rights watchdog Freedom House, tweeted that the police statement failed to address “pushing, manhandling, and abusive language by officers” and “the unmistakable impression that they had cleared #TDOR activists to make way for right wing.” Credit: Natalie Vikhrov via Storyful</s>Kiev: Two activists were attacked with pepper-spray in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev on Sunday during a transgender rights march that was interrupted by dozens of far-right protesters. About 30 people were taking part in the demonstration, holding rainbow flags and banners with slogans including “Transphobia must be stopped” and “If you stay silent, they will come after you too”. But far-right protesters lit smoke bombs and threw them into the crowd, an AFP journalist at the scene said.</s>KIEV: Two activists were attacked with pepper-spray in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev on Sunday during a transgender rights march that was interrupted by dozens of far-right protesters.

About 30 people were taking part in the demonstration, holding rainbow flags and banners with slogans including "Transphobia must be stopped" and "If you stay silent, they will come after you too". But far-right protesters lit smoke bombs and threw them into the crowd, an AFP journalist at the scene said.

The two women attacked with pepper spray were given first aid at the scene, according to the correspondent. Police led the activists into a subway station and blocked the entrance to avoid clashes.
A planned transgender rights rally in Kyiv, Ukraine, is attacked by far-right radicals.