Angered Chernobyl protesters storm Ukrainian Parliament

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">KIEV (RIA Novosti)- Some 1,000 former Chernobyl disaster clean-up crew members angered with planned cuts of social benefits have stormed the Ukrainian parliament building.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The protesters chanting “Shame!” crashed through the metal cordon surrounding the building but were stopped by police from entering the parliament.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The protesters have demanded that lawmakers leave the building for direct talks and agree to pass amendments to prevent the infringement of former <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Chernobyl</st1:city></st1:place> rescuers and other citizens’ interests.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Several opposition MPs emerged from the building to address the protesters, but their words were inaudible due to the crowd’s chanting.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">In early September, Ukrainian lawmakers passed a bill in the first reading canceling social benefits for some 10 million citizens, including those involved in a clean-up operation following the 1986 <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Chernobyl</st1:city></st1:place> nuclear disaster.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">An explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in April 1986 resulted in highly radioactive fallout in the atmosphere over an extensive area. A 30-kilometer (19-mile) exclusion zone was introduced following the accident.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

Angered Chernobyl protesters storm Ukrainian Parliament

KIEV (RIA Novosti)- Some 1,000 former Chernobyl disaster clean-up crew members angered with planned cuts of social benefits have stormed th...

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