Human rights activists name main ‘discriminators’

November 16, on the International Day of Tolerance, the Coalition for Combating Discrimination in Ukraine named the “discriminators” – individuals and organizations who committed the gravest violations of the principles of equality and non-discrimination in Ukraine during the year.

The winners got blinkers as the symbol of tunnel thinking and narrow-mindedness, the Human Rights Information Centre correspondent reports.

The so-called “winners” were defined in three categories: the most discriminatory statement, the most discriminatory act, and the most dangerous and discriminatory legislative initiative. Besides, the special award has been introduced in 2015, the “Choice of Youth.” The “winner” in this category is defined via online vote on the website of the “Discrimination restricts. Resist!” campaign.

Thirteen nominees competed for the title “discriminator.”

The Parliament of Ukraine is the winner in the nomination “The most dangerous legislative initiative”, having deprived more than one million internally displaced persons from Donbas and Crimea of the right to vote in the local elections in 2015.

The winner in the “most discriminatory act” category became the owner of the water park in Uzhgorod, ex-mayor of Uzhgorod Serhiy Ratushnyak. In June 2015, the administration of the Uzhgorod water park banned the foreign students from having rest. Serhiy Ratushniak said that he in such a way took care of health of the city residents by not letting “syphylitic and tuberculosis gypsies of the region and the whole world.”

Volodymyr Spilnichenko, executive director of the “National Sports Complex “Olympiyskiy“ became the anti-hero in two categories: “the most discriminatory statement” and the “Choice of Youth.” The director proposed to make a separate sector for the African Americans following the scandal over beating the dark-skinned fans at the NSC “Olympiyskiy” stadium. In response to an ironic journalist’s question “If you think that was a provocation, maybe they should be banned from entering the stadium? Perhaps, a separate sector should be created for them then?”, Spilnichenko said, “It’s a good idea. We’ll probably listen to your suggestion. We will try for them, perhaps, we’ll make a separate sector in order to avoid racism.”

Iryna Tekuchova, the coordinator of the campaign “Discrimination restricts. Resist!”, noted that “the public beating of the persons of another nationality by the football fans because of color of the skin during the Dynamo-Chelsea match is the shame for a country that seeks to eliminate discrimination and develop a tolerant society. Moreover, the proposal to make separate stands for dark-skinned individuals is the open manifestation of racism and discrediting of the whole country in the eyes of the world community.”

Lawyer Kseniya Prokonova, the “Discriminator” juror, said, “It’s very important to speak about discrimination now as, having read certain initiatives of ministries and departments, you realize that it is better to point to specific actions of specific individuals. Unfortunately, the state does not develop any standards, does not provide any effective punishment.”

The winners will receive the blinkers by mail, but can also take them on their own.

“Mr. Groysman, Mr. Ratushniak, and Mr. Spilnichenko, you can come to us and take your diplomas and prizes during next two days after confirming your identity, showing a passport,” Maryna Hovorukhina, the communications director of the Human Rights Information Centre, noted.