STRASBOURG, October 2 (RIA Novosti), Daria Chernyshova - A picket to protest the bloodshed in Donbas started next to the building of the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Thursday, seeking to attract attention of the European mass media to the unfolding tragedy and to tell Europeans what is happening in Ukraine's southeastern region of Donbas.
"We are here to explain to every French or German who is living here what is happening there [in Donbas], because the media does not have it," one of the organizers of the picket, Elena Iordanova, told RIA Novosti on Thursday.
On September 14, Iordanova was among the group of people who arranged a rally in Strasbourg clamoring for the protection of the Russian-speaking population of Donbas, end of the war in Ukraine, and cessation of the Kiev troops' activity.
"Our picket continues this movement and attracts more and more people who support us," she said adding, that the first demonstration attracted fewer people as they were afraid to express their opinion.
Another organizer of the picket, Viktor, told RIA Novosti, that the protesters have been granted a permit to set up a tent camp for three months.
"We demand a just investigation into the tragedy in Odesa that happened on May 2," Viktor said adding that the picket will continue until December 22.
Iordanova pointed out that their actions have a snowball effect, as following the September 16 picket , the number of participants has been constantly growing and has climbed to 20.
Donbas is one of the regions in southeastern Ukraine that suffered as the result of the military confrontation between the Ukrainian government forces and independence supporters. According to the United Nations, the number of those killed in the conflict has climbed to 3,500 including the victims of the MH17 crash.
