KIEV, Ukraine, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- Protesters in Kiev, upset over proposed social benefit cuts, scuffled with police Thursday outside the Ukrainian Parliament building, witnesses said.
More than 1,000 people, including former Chernobyl workers, human rights activists and veterans of the Soviet war, have been rallying near the government building since Tuesday, RIA Novosti reported. Riot police blocked protesters from entering the building, witnesses said.
The Ukrainian parliament has announced plans to cut social benefits for some 10 million citizens, including those involved in the clean-up operation following the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, RIA Novosti said.
The protests have also expanded to Donetsk, where more than 1,500 members of various political parties staged a rally.
