Radical leftists baffle Docudays UA screenings in Athens

The night before the event opening, the managers of the Exile Room, the main festival location in Greece, refused to hold the festival on their territory. They were afraid of the calls of radical leftist groups for holding protests near the location.

This was reported by press service of the Docudays UA International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival.

The organizers addressed in an urgent order the Embassy of Ukraine in Greece with a request to conduct screenings and discussions in their premises.

“In the evening of May 13, when the documentary “Euromaidan. Rough Cut” was being screened, the pro-Russian forces who called themselves ‘Greek anti-fascists’ were protesting near the Exile Room. After the rally, the group of young people moved towards the gallery which would host the exhibition ‘Hey, brother?’ of artist Oleksandr Hliadelov in a week. The leftists intimidated the gallery owners and accused them of supporting the Ukrainian Nazis,” reads the statement.

It is reported that the local radical sources spread false information about the project “See Ukraine”, distort the facts and accuse the organizers of the attempts to slander the residents of Crimea and Donbas, although the program contains no films on a similar topical.

“Through the example of cultural diplomacy initiative of the Docudays UA we have seen how the information campaign against Ukraine is being waged and how it is important not to succumb to provocations and not to believe that the Greeks are hostile to Ukrainians. They are not. Pro-Russian forces deliberately create this myth, trying to quarrel two countries with each other. This is why we held the first part of the festival in Greece despite the difficulties,” said Olha Birzul, the PR-manager of the project “See Ukraine: Docudays UA on Tour.”

During three days, the viewers in Athens had the opportunity to watch short films of Ukrainian filmmakers: “Doctor comes last” by Svitlana Shymko and “Sirs and signors” by Oleksandr Techynsky. Moreover, the discussion “Where is Ukraine heading after Euromaidan” was held, involving Ukrainian-Greek experts: philosopher Volodymyr Yermolenko, journalist Tetyana Oharkova, Greek professor of geostrategy Nikos Liheros and historian Michalis Varlasa.

“We should continue to do everything possible to convey information about Ukraine to the international audience. It is important to speak of the power of Ukrainian society, the rise of a new Ukraine, and the nature of Russian aggression that threatens the entire world order,” said Volodymyr Yermolenko, the member of the NGO “Internews-Ukraine.”