Yanukovych incapable of dealing even with silent protest by several journos

"A dozen Ukrainian journalists stood up and raised anti-censorship banners when President Viktor Yanukovich hailed his country's march to media freedom at the World Newspaper Congress in Kyiv on Monday, Sept. 3. "Ukraine has made its way, without exaggeration, from total censorship to an open society," Yanukovich told the conference as his security guards ripped banners saying "Stop censorship" from protesters' hands. Yanukovich did not react to the silent protest." [Source]

Most western politician do not mind the hecklers and protesters which they frequently encounter. Politicians before a microphone should be smart enough to think quickly on their feet and 'turn the tables' on those interrupting them, particularly if they know what is coming beforehand. It gives them an opportunity to show they care, and are passionate about the subject of which they are addressing the public.

At Monday's conference Yanukovych could have deviated from his 'bit of paper' and said: "You see, those journalists up there, they are free to express their opinions even right now...no-one is stopping them. I know them all well and I often discuss these matters with them. Is this not  proof that no-one is preventing  them expressing their views in Ukraine?"

He missed his chance, and continued his robotic droning.

His PR team deserve a kick in the a** because they certainly knew beforehand of the  journalists'  "Stop Censorship" protest . Yanukovych's PR guys  should definitely have had  a riposte prepared  for the president.

But this dumb bunch of bozos allowed a modest silent protest by a few journalists to turn into an embarrassment picked up by the world's press,  e.g. as by the Washington Post.