Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Religious intolerance in Ukraine denounced

WASHINGTON - The U.S. is condemning instances of religious intolerance that are inflaming tensions in Ukraine. Among them is the distribution of leaflets demanding that Jews in eastern Ukraine identify themselves.
BC-US-Ukraine-Religion.jpg
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry speaks to the media after attending a quadrilateral meeting between representatives of the United States, Ukraine, Russia and the European Union about the ongoing situation in Ukraine in Geneva, Switzerland, Thursday, April 17, 2014.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. is condemning instances of religious intolerance that are inflaming tensions in Ukraine.

Among them is the distribution of leaflets demanding that Jews in eastern Ukraine identify themselves.

Secretary of State John Kerry says the leaflets are, quote, "grotesque and beyond unacceptable." He also denounces apparent threats to members of the Russian Orthodox Church from members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Kerry says no such behaviour can be tolerated. He's in Geneva for talks on Ukraine

The anti-Semitic leaflets recall the Nazi-era persecution of Jews. U.S. officials in Washington say they've appeared recently in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk amid pro- and anti-Russian protests.

The State Department says it is looking into who is responsible but takes the threat seriously no matter who is behind the leaflets.