Support freedom of speech in Sweden and throughout the world

The Documentary Ukraine - Masks of Revolution (In Swedish: Ukraina - Revolutionens mörka sida) on the massacre in Odessa May 2, 2014 will be aired in Sweden May 23, 2016. The broadcast has been postponed twice. Maidan Norway, a Swedish Human Rights organization (Östgruppen för demokrati och mänskliga rättigheter), Ukrainian organizations, the Ukrainian embassy and journalists have protested against the documentary. In 2015, Ukrainian organizations stopped an exhibition on the massacre in Odessa May 2, 2014. Sweden’s largest organization for adult education (ABF) had admitted it in their program but the exhibition was prevented. The same Ukrainian organizations together with others now seek to slander and defame a documentary which premiered February 1, 2016 on Canal+ in France and is directed by the renowned and award-winning French journalist Paul Moreira.

The documentary is based on witness statements from all sides and on facts about events that took place in Odessa May 2, 2014. Those who protest against this documentary refer to an article authored by the journalist John Færseth and published in the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet. Færseth opposes what the documentary proves. The film shows a Ukrainian-nationalistic mob setting a trade union building on fire and this leads to 42 fatalities among supporters of a referendum on federalisation of the country. The Norwegian journalist instead believes that a lot suggests that the main responsibility for the fatalities lies on the fire brigade who arrived late at the scene of the fire. Færseth also suggests that the role of right-wing extremism in Ukraine is grossly exaggerated in the entire documentary about the dark elements of the Ukrainian revolution.

The campaign against the documentary aims to provide people, who have this lack of moral and who excuse a mass murder, the possibility to "comment" the documentary in connection to the broadcast. Their aim is to promote their so-called critical voices so that they can make the documentary appear as if it is based on conspiracy theories. Do not let a narrative that excuses right-wing extremist violence, wherever it occurs, get the final say in mass media.

Defend freedom of speech and freedom of information against any government and their followers who want to impose their views and biased narrative as the only valid truth on their own people or upon people in other countries.

This open letter will be sent to the media and the public in Sweden and in neighboring countries.

Help us support peace, freedom of speech, freedom of information and to expose the right-wing extremist violence.

Initiators

Ukrainabulletinen

Platform

Peace on earth and peace with earth
Support for conflict resolution and yes to peace negotiations - no to war.
Yes to common security - no to rearmament.
Yes to investments for social justice and the environment - no to austerity policies in Ukraine, Europe and the world.

Editorial team

Tord Björk, editor, Ukrainabulletinen
Stig Broqvist, active in Friends of the Earth Helsingborg
Lars Drake, assistant professor Swedish University of Agriculture (SLU)
Jan Wiklund, popular movement researcher


Supporters

Goran Brankovic, peace activist
Mika Böök, peace activist
Susanne Gerstenberg, peace activist
Thomas Gunnarsson, peasant
Joel Holmdahl, peasant
Jake Kayzer, peace activist
Thorsten Laxvik, peasant
Markus Limmergård, board member FiB/K
Oleg Mezjuev, Ukraine observer
Eddie Olsson, active in Friends of the Earth Europe
Anders Romelsjö, professor emeritus, radical blogger
Bo Sundbäck, teacher
Maj Wechselmann, documentary film maker

International supporters

Mika Böök, Finland
Noam Chomsky, USA
Pål Steigan, Norway

We who have initiated this international action come from diverse backgrounds. As farmers we are concerned about the agriculture in Ukraine with its 7 million farmers who are protesting against the policies imposed upon them by the EU and IMF being austerity policies directed against small and middle sized farmers: policies only in the interest of the big corporations. As employees in the public sector we are concerned that the future society is put in the hands of companies that are replacing social rights with privatized social services to make profit off the needs of people. As pacifists and environmentalists we are concerned about the secretary general of NATO claiming that environmental movements with its protests against fracking were in the hands of Russia. We are also concerned about how Russia or any other country is portrayed as an enemy in Sweden with the purpose to promote rearmament and war rather than peace building. We are, as activists for human rights very concerned about the selective use of the indivisible human rights including both social and political dimensions with double standards that weaken the struggle for human rights everywhere.

The campaign against the documentary was supported by Maidan Norway, Ukrainian organizations and a Swedish Human Rights organization (Östgruppen för demokrati och mänskliga rättigheter). Others who opposed the documentary had their background in a think tank funded by Confederation of Swedish Enterprise (In Swedish: Svenskt Näringsliv), defense research, the Ukrainian embassy, Swedish public service radio and human rights organizations that share the Swedish Government’s position on the conflict in Ukraine.

Find more back ground material at the campaign web site.