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Protesters gather near Ukrainian parliament as Rada opens first meeting

Euro-Maidan activists gathered on near the Rada to express protests against 64 deputies in the new parliament who had supported the policy of Viktor Yanukovych when he was Ukrainian president

First session of the newly elected Ukrainian Parliament Mikhail Palinchak/Ukraine's presidential press service

First session of the newly elected Ukrainian Parliament

© Mikhail Palinchak/Ukraine's presidential press service

KIEV, November 27. /TASS/. The Ukrainian parliament is guarded by specially-equipped police as about 1,500 protesters have gathered near the building where the newly-elected Verkhovna Rada has opened its first meeting.

Euro-Maidan activists gathered on the square between the Rada and the nearby park for a meeting to express protests against 64 deputies in the new parliament who had supported the policy of Viktor Yanukovych when he was Ukrainian president.

“They voted for dictatorship laws on January 16,” one of the protesters told TASS.

“A wall of shame” was opened near the Rada on Thursday morning for anyone to leave messages to such deputies.

Nine armored trucks of the National Guards and more than 20 buses of police were near the building before the parliament meeting was opened at 10:00am (11:00am Moscow time). There were also public order guards.

About five hundred people gathered on the square and the same number was along the perimeter, a TASS correspondent reported from the site.

The first meeting of the newly-elected parliament opened on Thursday morning with the deputies’ oath taking.

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