Every nation has their genius, and right to their honor, is it can be, apparently, differently? However centuries of the Ukrainian statelessness gave many certificates of such the power can regard privilege as a crime. One of the striking events was in 1914.
Especially actively the preparatory work to memory of the Great Poet was carried out by the Kiev public figures, scientists, teachers of national schools, journalists, and, certainly, students. The materials devoted to this event began to appear some months prior to an anniversary in the Kyiv newspapers. In chronicles column messages on actions and steps of educational institutions, public associations, theaters, circles on the organizations of celebrations, reprinting of literary works and albums of Shevchenko’s drawings, performances statement and concerts etc. were daily published. However there were no frankly reactionary and pro-government publications indifferent to this date both. From number to number began to publish false and, often, meaningless articles and notes that most reviled creativity and memory poet and accused the Ukrainian community in preparation On 25-26th of February (On 9-10th of March, new style, which account for birthday and day of Shevchenko death) "haidamak rebellion." "Honest Russian patriots" was not limited to newspaper controversy. By the central authority of the empire dirty stream gushed denunciations of "Mazepa" separatists and their subversive activities. The answer is not long in coming. In January 1914, the Minister of Interior Mykola Maklakov signed circular, which in all the provinces of the empire forbade “public celebrations of the Little Russian writer Taras Shevchenko” all kinds of public honouring , its publication and distribution of "tendentious literature".
The Holy Synod didn't stand aside and :He forbade to serve in churches on 25th of February memorial services "on the God's slave Taras" which 50 years together had been serving! Local leaders of different persuasion embraced circular and departmental administrative acts as a direct guide to action. Ahead of all there was the Kiev authorities: for example, curator of the Kiev school district forbade its circular to secondary schools pupils to participate in any of honoring Shevchenko, and urban public schools inspector ordered the seizure of books from libraries Ukraine, Committee on Printing seized prepared the anniversary reissue of "Kobzar" and so on. Forbidden even send to the grave of Taras Shevchenko in Kaniv!
On the eve of the anniversary, the Kiev universities leadership were sent to government telegrams demanding “to attend to appropriate measures to provide tranquillity at this day”.
Prohibitive measures as it most often also happens, caused a boomerang effect. Indignant now not only pupils, touched to the quick and the broad masses of the population of Ukrainian cities and peasants - "already pray do not give!" However, the representatives of the most radical Ukrainian NGOs and students. Immediately after the circulars had formed a coalition strike committee, which began to prepare a memorial service, but not the church and community, and strike. The Kiyv zhandarms. Head of Kyiv Province Gendarmerie Colonel Shredel reported to the Director of the Police Department Beletsky in St. Petersburg: "… Heads of the Ukrainian movement united with other antigovernment organizations and started development of the plan of the street demonstrations device on 25th and 26th of February, having directed all the efforts to attraction to these active performances of Kyiv students.
… Among students the select interim committee on the organization of those performances into which representatives of foreign associations (Poles, the Georgian, Armenians, etc.) entered was formed and … is broken to production of leaflets …"
The first leaflets were published on hectograph in three languages : Ukrainian, Russian and Polish. But much of it fell into the hands of the police: student, carrying a pack, died under suspicious circumstances, caught in the suburban train. Given this evidence, the police and gendarmes began the persecution of all more or less known to them activists student movement.
Even the epigraph of the leaflet sent "appeals to overthrow of a political system" are there were lines from Shevchenko’s"Testament" and the poem "Caucasus":
“Keep fighting—you are sure to win!
God helps you in your fight!
For fame and freedom march with you,
And right is on your side!”
The text also left no doubt about the attitudes and intentions of its authors:
‘Friends! The holiday of the Great Singer centenary birth of democracy twice suppressed socially and national has to turn into big political demonstration. The same who tortured the male poet, and together with them and all people "from the Moldavian to Fynn", forbade a holiday of the sufferer.
We, the Ukrainian students, social democrats, address to the revolutionary intellectuals and students of all people with an appeal to support our protest in the form of one-day political strike on all the Kyiv higher schools. Memory of the person, blood of heart and the body paid for the revolutionary protest of the Genius, has to be sacred for everyone who is influenced by a heavy hand "tsars, insatiable the publicans” Let this day we will unite under a banner on which red letters we will write: TARAS SHEVCHENKO
Let our absence at schools this day will be terrible [prevention] dominating, mad to nationalism.
…Glory, glory
Let they know that we will click soon powerful, revolutionary and fearless:
Let know that we will click soon powerful, revolutionary and fearless:
... Glory, glory
To borzois and hound, and huntsman
And to our fathers tsars.
And this organized "glory" will be death for our oppressors.
Friends , let's go on strike on 25th of February ".
We will notice that a line about "dominating, mad nationalism" concerned That Russian, really mad chauvinism with which any performances and actions the monarchical-law and figures who were in every possible way supported by the government of that time were impregnated.
After the first proclamation some leaflets were published . These cards stuck round a canteen of the Kiev polytechnic institute - the main place of students meetings activists of various movements and public organizations; much they went on University of St.Vladimir, Commercial institute and the High female courses. Police and gendarmes rushed off the feet, trying to neutralize authors and distributors of dangerous appeals. Searches and arrests began on apartments and on corners where there lived "unreliable" persons.
In turn, conspiracy measures and events managers were strengthened. Committee meeting now had intended in some hours before, and each time in the new, "pure" room. However, apparently, the power sped up work with provokers. Therefore the last meeting appointed on 23th of February indoors on Nestorovskiye Street, was failed. Members of this staff which considerable part, by the way, studied at the Kiev Polytechnic Institute weren't in time, to gather, the big police squad rushed into the room headed by the police officer. The search began, but in the first confusion someone managed to destroy protocols. Detainees delivered in Old Kiev a site, and from there - in Lukyanovsky prison. Despite the absence of direct proofs of fault and, therefore, enough good prospects on release, oppressed all that, most likely, demonstration will be failed. However big parties of students began to bring into the prison yard at the afternoon on25th of February. It were the first detainees on Vladimirskaya Street participants of populous demonstration that only gained strength.
Since the morning the Kiev students started meeting at Commercial institute (now in this house - National pedagogical university of M. Dragomanov). For a short time there nearly 2000 people who together sang "Eternal memory" gathered and started scattering leaflets.
At the same time meetings gathered and near the Vladimir and Sofia cathedrals, and part in them took not only youth. On streets appeared police and Kozaks, lashes tried to disperse protesters. In general, as it is represented, at first performances had rather separate character and occurred in different parts of the city. The certificate to it are memoirs of one of participants of those events, the former KPI student P. Kotov:
"Vladimirsky Cathedral was protected by cavalry patrol, but the mass of demonstrators in some thousands of people surrounded the last and pressed close there - there was a Sunday and church process went full speed. The priest on ironical the offer ran for an altar, and present sang" the Precept "... The same was at a new church on B. Vasilkovskaya; memorial service it was sent only because the ban concerned orthodox service".
Announcements that the service won't be, participants of performances saw and on doors of St. Sophia Cathedral. Therefore appealed to priests nevertheless to send memorial service according to Shevchenko. Having been refused, populous meeting started singing again "Eternal memory" directly on the street. Them employees of plants, small workshops joined Karen which also came to a strike rally on square of Bogdan Khmelnytsky. After that their owls demonstrators column moved in the opposite direction.
Police squad tried to stop people at the corner of Irininsky and Vladimir streets . They sufficed and sent to prison without analysis . However it stopped nobody. Demonstrators passed to Pro-carved, turned on Pushkin, from there - on Fundukley to they hold down (nowadays Bogdan Khmelnytsky str.) then started going down on the Khreshchatyk. At the corner of Fundukleevskaya and Tereshchenkovskaya they were waited by fight with member students of the organization "Kiev Patriotic Society of Youth" a two-headed Eagle" which tried to organize counterdemonstration (or as to us is now more habitual, anti-demonstration). Even in the morning at a monument to Stolypin opposite to City Council (it was located in the middle of the present Maidan Nezalezhnosti str.) they under the leadership of the student of University Saint Vladimir Golubev suited the meeting where that lifted over crowd of the Russian tricolor, however after long trials with police calmed down a little. However it has not for long. Some of these "anti" demonstrators shouted: "Long live United, indivisible Russia! Hurrah!" but in return get a whistle and shouting “Out of!” Some witnesses who were later questioned about these events, argued that it was possible to hear and radical slogans “Out of Russia!” and "Long live independent Ukraine! " Other student monarchist who exclaimed "Out of Shevchenko! ",was beat by Participants of procession.
Soon the big workers group of one of the largest Kiev enterprises joined to demonstrators the Southern Russian plant which moved from Bolshoy Vasilkovskaya Street. Demonstration received noticeably political character. About three o'clock in the afternoon again there were "a two-headed Eagle" activists. Contractions were serious.
Having met with demonstrators who honored memory of the Great Poet, "twoglavets" as them called in Kiev, defiantly tore Shevchenko's portrait. A fight began, from both parties stones departed. Everything would end with big blood if the police Again didn't interfere with business.
Disorders had been proceeding the whole day. Till the evening the police had sufficing their participants. Detainees overflowed all city sites. The authorities managed to appease demonstrators only by means of armies.
Next day, in anniversary of Shevchenko's death , performance renewed. However, considering accepted by gendarmes and police of a measure, demonstrators were much less. However and here didn't do without fights between those who revered memory of the Great Poet, and his enemies.
Especially active was again "double-headed eagle" and his restless head Golubev. Actually, the members of this society armed with sticks and lashes, resorted to frank provocations. We will notice that thus any of these "activists" the police didn't detain. And here students of KPI and other Kyiv higher education institutions which took part in celebration of Shevchenko’s memory, or as wrote newspapers, "the Mazepa demonstrators" much appeared "in Lukyan"...
The consequence on the mass riots facts and their circumstances proceeded four months and was closed all a month before World War I beginning. By estimates of historians, these events became the last considerable anti-government protests in Kyiv before revolution.