Scuffles as thousands continue to occupy capital despite new anti-protest laws

(18 Jan 2014) Pro-government activists scuffled on Saturday with anti-government protesters on a street in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev. The mild skirmishes occurred after around 200 pro-government activists approached anti-government protesters who were blocking one of Kiev's main streets, and tried to remove them. Activists said the barricades were restricting access to the street for people and vehicles. Anti-government demonstrators fortified the barricade with their own security and were seen pushing the pro-government activists out of the area. One pro-government activist said all the barricades, including the ones on the Independence Square (known as Maidan), should be removed as they were affecting ordinary citizens. One of the Ukrainian opposition leaders, Oleh Tyahnubok, tried to negotiate with pro-government activists. "Let's avoid provocation, because that's what the government wants, a conflict between the people. They want to see angry people fighting each other, to create an internal conflict inside the country," he said. Tyahnubok also added that the government wanted to see protesters fighting each other to draw attention away from the reason behind the ongoing protests. The scuffles between protesters on Khreshatykon street didn't last very long. Anti-government demonstrations have been rocking Kiev for nearly two months. The demonstrations were sparked by a decision by President Viktor Yanukovych to shelve a long-discussed economic and political treaty with the European Union. Instead, Yanukovych chose to focus on improving ties with Russia and received a pledge of a 15 (b) billion US dollar bailout loan from the Kremlin to aid the troubled Ukrainian economy. The protests swelled to hundreds of thousands after police violently dispersed several rallies. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...