A SHOT AND A FIRE, DOMINIQUE VENNER AND OLEKSA HIRNYK

On May 21, 2013 the French nationalist Dominique Venner shot himself in the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris in to protest against the decline of Europe (against gay marriages, against mass immigration from Africa and Asia, against the destruction of true European values).

36 years ago, on May 21, 1978 the Ukrainian nationalist Oleksa Hirnyk committed self-immolation on Chernecha Mount (Monastic Mount) in the city of Kaniv in protest against the Soviet regime and its policy of destruction the Ukrainian culture, language (by implementation of Russification policy) and national values.

What unites these two acts? Despair or decay of vitality - as someone might mistakenly decide. But in fact both these radical deeds are nothing else as acts of self sacrifice. Bothe the nationalists were full of deep faith in their nations and their deeds were aimed to awake their nations, to awake the desire to think and act!

"My protest is Prometheus's deed, it is the rebellion against violence and oppression. My protest is a quotation from Shevchenko, and I am his faithful disciple and follower!" - Oleksa Hirnyk haswroe shortly before the death. 

"I believe it necessary to sacrifice myself to break the lethargy that plagues us. I give up what life remains to me in order to protest and to found...  I rebel against fate. I protest against poisons of the soul and the desires of invasive individuals to destroy the anchors of our identity..." - Venner wrote.

Before he went to Kaniv Oleksa Hirnyk came to Kyiv, where he visited Kiev-Pechersk Lavra and St. Sophia Cathedral. The city of Kaniv and Chernecha Mountain (also called Tarasova Mountain) was not an accidentally choosen place. Great Taras Shevchenko was buried on this mountain and Oleksa had considered him as a national prophet and teacher.

In the early morning Oleksa Hirnyk doused himself with gasoline and lit a fire. His body was found by locals in the morning. Police found 970 leaflets he had dropped throughout the city before, many of them were preserved by locals.

The place, chosen by Venner also wasn't accidental; the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris has a sacral value for the French people, same as Shevchenko's grave for Ukrainians.

These suicides are distant from each other by time and territorially. Undoubtedly, both they cannot be an example to follow. Both Ukraine and France need alive heroes in these hard times. 

But all sorts of accusations of weakness as well as moralizing on the subject of sin are not appropriate. Both Dominique Venner and Oleksa Hirnyk had believed that their acts, as Prometheus's self-sacrifice, will kindle fire in the hearts of their people.

Source: Uktk.org