KIEV, July 18 – Riot police late Thursday moved to disperse a rally in downtown Kiev after protesters tried to erect a tent camp in preparation for a long-term action against police brutality.

There were about 150 protesters, some of whom had walked to Kiev all the way from their regions, demanding the resignation of Interior Affairs Minister Vitaliy Zakharchenko.

The protest began as a spontaneous reaction to the case in Vradiyivka, Mykolayv region, where two police officers had allegedly raped and tried to kill a young woman.

The Berkut riot police squad surrounded the protesters on Maydan Nezalezhnosti square at about midnight and engaged in a clash to disperse the rally. The police also confiscated two tents that had been already erected.

The quick dispersal of protesters underscores the degree of concern by the authorities over potential street protests in Kiev ahead of the presidential election in March 2015 at which President Viktor Yanukovych is expected to seek reelection.

Yanukovych, then prime minister, was said to have stolen the presidential election in November 2004, but was forced to step down following massive street protests known as the Orange Revolution.

Yanukovych’s unlikely return to power came in February 2010 after he had defeated then-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko for the presidency. She was jailed in October 2011 and sentenced to seven years in prison for abuse of power, a charge she has denied as politically motivated.

The rape case galvanized people, propelled by widespread belief that corruption, lawlessness and the impunity of government officials has increased markedly since Yanukovych came to power three years ago.

The popular anger spreading throughout the country may pose a serious political challenge to Yanukovych.

The Vradiyivka police station was stormed by local people in early July. The people smashed windows and threw fire bombs, while police officers hid in a basement.

Zakharchenko, who canceled his vacation earlier this week, met some of the protesters earlier Thursday and promised to investigate the case to punish those involved.

But he also said the protest has become heavily politicized and flatly refused to step down.

“On the issue of resignation, the minister said that he would only resign if he is proven to be associated with criminals,” Leonid Yemets, an opposition lawmaker who joined the meeting, wrote on his Facebook page. (tl/ez)