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Ukraine crisis: Thousands challenge protest ban in Kiev
Tens of thousands of people gathered for the protest
Tens of thousands of Ukrainian pro-EU demonstrators have gathered in the capital Kiev in defiance of new laws aimed at curbing public protests.
They braved freezing temperatures to pack into the city's Independence Square, with some sporting pots or colanders to mock a ban on helmets.
The laws were passed on Thursday with a quick show of hands by MPs loyal to President Viktor Yanukovych.
The opposition accused Mr Yanukovych's ruling party of a coup.
The president signed the bills into law soon afterwards.
One of the laws bans any unauthorised installation of tents, stages or amplifiers in public places. It also permits the arrest of protesters who wear masks or helmets, among other restrictions.
Those who violate the law now face a hefty fine or prison.
Another bill provides a punishment of one year of corrective labour for slandering government officials.
US and EU officials have expressed deep concern at the new legislation.
Ukraine's current anti-government movement began in protest at Mr Yanukovych's decision in late November to pull out of a landmark treaty with the EU, but has expanded to demand his resignation.
Action plan demand
Sunday's rally began peacefully after scuffles the previous day between pro-EU protesters and Yanukovych supporters in the city.
Kiev has seen protest rallies every Sunday for two months
Some demonstrators wore masks, also in defiance of the new law
Former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Borys Tarasyuk (second from left) was among those taking the stage
The rally heard a call from a former Ukrainian navy chief for members of the armed forces to defy "illegal" orders from those in power, Unian news agency reported.
Rear Adm Ihor Tenyukh, who was sacked by President Yanukovych in 2010, warned of the dangers posed by the "coup d'etat planned by the current authorities".
"Tomorrow the regime will enslave you too. Therefore we are calling on you to fulfil your military oath of loyalty to the Ukrainian people and not to the authorities who have gone off the rails," he was quoted as saying.
Opposition leaders are under huge pressure to come up with an action plan, amid criticism from many activists that their campaign has been too passive.
The protesters have been camping out behind extensive barricades on the Euromaidan, as Independence Square has been dubbed, for nearly two months.
The mass demonstrations were initially triggered by President Yanukovych's last-minute rejection of an EU deal under heavy pressure from Russia in November.
The protesters' demands later widened to include the fight against what they said was widespread government corruption and abuse of power.
The changes include a ban on unauthorised tents in public areas and criminal responsibility for slandering government officials
Among the laws is a ban on protests involving more than five vehicles in "Automaidan" motorcades. This followed such demonstrations outside government offices - including Mr Yanukovych's countryside residence - in recent days.
Party of the Regions MP Oleh Tsariov said the laws were in line with European standards and aimed at preventing further escalation of the political crisis.
But the opposition said the bills were "illegitimate", saying the pro-presidential MPs had decided to use voting by a show of hands after realising they did not have enough support.
Udar party leader Vitali Klitschko condemned the move as a "coup", while Arseniy Yatsenyuk, one of the leaders of the Batkivshchyna (Fatherland) party, warned that Ukraine was now bracing for another "wave of protests".
EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele said he was "profoundly concerned by new legislation limiting freedoms".
The move contradicted Ukraine's "European aspirations", he said, and its commitments in the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, which President Yanukovych abruptly refused to sign in November.
Instead, the Ukrainian leader promised to rebuild economic ties with Moscow. Shortly afterwards Russia cut the price of its gas supplies to Ukraine by almost a third and bought $15bn (£9.2bn; 10.9bn euros) in Ukrainian government bonds.
After defeat in the 2004 Orange Revolution, Mr Yanukovych was democratically elected president in 2010. Analysts expect him to stand for office again at the next election, just over a year away.
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