Over 20 police officers were injured in a protest rally "The Summer Theater Is Ours" in Odesa on Saturday, November 18, Odesa regional police have reported.

"Law enforcement officers sought medical help because of head injury, brain concussion, bruises, chemical burns of the skin and upper respiratory tract, as well as chemical pinkeye," the report says.

The police recalled that "a peaceful rally, due to illegal actions of some citizens, has turned into hooliganism."

"However, the illegal actions of citizens were stopped by law enforcers, the situation was controlled, so there were no riots. Civilians were not injured. Complaints about police misconduct were not reported," the regional police said.

Information on these events was included in the single register of pre-trial investigations under Part 4, Article 296 (hooliganism) and Article 345 (threat or violence against a law enforcement officer) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which foresees up to two years of corrective work, or arrest for up to six months, or restriction of freedom for up to three years, or imprisonment for three to seven years.

At noon on Saturday, November 18, several hundreds of Odesa residents gathered in the city center to hold a protest against the possible building of a part of the city garden - the Summer Theater.

Before the protest, the director of the Solid development company, Ihor Kovalenko, told journalists that the developer plans to create a concert and exhibition complex in the Summer Garden and that a high-rise building would not be constructed there. According to him, although the territory is privately owned, trees will not be cut down.

But he could not convince the protesters. As a result, a group of activists broke into the fenced territory of the Summer Theater, broke the gates welded at night and opened them for all those present.