Violence as Ukraine police clamp down on pro EU rally

   

Several people are injured as skirmishes erupt between riot police and protesters taking part in a pro-European Union rally in Kiev

Several people were injured in clashes between riot police and protesters taking part in a pro-European Union rally in Ukraine's capital Kiev on Sunday.

About 50-thousand demonstrators rallied in the centre of the city to demand that Ukraine's government reverse course and sign a landmark agreement with the European Union (EU) in defiance of Russia.

The rally was led by Ukraine's top opposition figures, who called for the protests to continue until President Viktor Yanukovych agreed to sign the free trade and political association deal with the EU at a summit on Friday.

The protest was the biggest Ukraine has seen since the peaceful 2004 Orange Revolution, which overturned a fraudulent presidential election result and brought a Western-leaning government to power.

Sunday's demonstration was sparked by anger over the government's sudden move last week to pull out of the EU agreement and focus instead on trade ties with Russia