Ukraine parliament brawls during debate over language bill

Violent scuffles broke out among deputies in Ukraine’s parliament during a debate over a bill to allow the official use of Russian. The brawl erupted between deputies loyal to President Viktor Yanukovych and legislators from pro-western opposition parties, who want to preserve Ukraine’s cultural and political independence from its powerful neighbour

Lawmakers from pro-presidential and oppositional factions fight in the parliament session hall in Kiev, Ukraine, Thursday, May 24, 2012. A violent scuffle has erupted in Ukraine’s parliament over a bill that would allow the use of the Russian language in courts, hospitals and other institutions in the Russian-speaking regions of the country. (AP Photo/Maks Levin)