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| IRINA MALENKO |
Although this happened last April 25, 2007 – I feel that the readers of NSC will get a good feeling as to the reaction of the people of Crimea to this visit.
The First “Orange Lady” of Ukraine, US-born wife of Ukrainian President Yushchenko –Yakaterina Chumashcnko who visited the International Children’s Centre “ARTEK” in order to take part in a hastily organized especially prepared for her press conference.
During this press conference, this highly placed “lady” was supposed to make these “Crimean Provincials” happy by her sentimental story about the importance of European values and NATO membership for Ukraine, and, she told the press that Ukraine is not able to appreciate fully because of the stupidity of 80% of the population who think that such a NATO membership is an attempt to rob them.
On the eve of her arrival, the organizers of this event went and ripped off from the Artek Camp walls all of the Soviet Medals that the Artek Children’s Camp had received for its work with Soviet children. Instead these organizers put up signs as if this was a UNESCOI Camp. The organizers forced the school teachers, principals to ride the busses to accompany her, but were met at the gate t the Artek Pioneer Camp by columns of boys and girls who stood firm and we were reminded of the legendary Stalingrad defenders during WW II.
The boys and girls shouted:” Artek must get its Soviet Medals back!” “Let Madam Yushenko go back to Kiev”. “Or even better, go back straight to America!”
What happened next reminded one of a Hollywood-made thriller. In order to bring Madam Yushenko into the Artek Pioneer Camp, a joint police, secret service and also a CIA squad was put into action. She escaped the crowd and escaped through a path seldom used, right through the rubbish dump. But this joy was very short and as she emerged from an undercover Lada car, she heard over the camp loudspeakers: “Citizen of the United States of America, Catherine Yushchenko, give back to Artek Camp its Soviet Medals!”
The conference swiftly ended ands she went back through the rubbish dump, having refused to face the people who wanted to have a meeting.
On her way back she heard shouts of: “Crimea is not Oklahoma.”
Wherever the organizers tried to get her to meet different events, she was always plagued by demonstrations and shouts: “No to NATO! No to fascism!”
This tired American Lady did not try to hide in the Lada car anymore– she was whisked right away to the Airport. She said there in parting: “There will never be anymore Soviet Medals in Artek!”
But the Crimean people think differently about this!
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