PAID CROWDS AT RALLY IN KIEV

The URA-INFORM agency reports from Kiev that many participants in a rally to mark the first anniversary of the Orange Revolution came to the downtown square for money. The most generous was the Bloc of Yulia Timoshenko. This political party paid its crowd 10 grivnas an hour or 120 grivnas a day. ($1.00 = 5.35 grivnas). The Bloc also provided its people with hot tea and later in the day it served refreshments and alcoholic drinks. The pro-Yushchenko Our Ukraine Party turned out to be the most stingy in gratifying its supporters. It paid its extras 50 grivna a shift (hours not specified) or five grivnas an hour. The other group that loosened its purse strings for celebrations of last Tuesday was the Party of Industrialists and Businessmen. It paid its supporters 30 grivnas an hour. The agency’s informer got a request from representatives of the three political parties to bring to the central square 500-1000 students. A good fee was apparently promised.