Iryna Farion

Iryna Farion (Ukrainian: Ірина Дмитрівна Фаріон, Iryna Dmytrivna Farion) is a Ukrainian linguist and politician. She is a Candidate of Philological Sciences and a docent of the Department of Ukrainian Language at the Lviv Polytechnic (Institute of Humanitarian and Social Sciences).

Iryna Farion
Ірина Дмитрівна Фаріон
Farion in February 2015
People's Deputy of Ukraine
In office
12 December 2012[1] – 27 November 2014[2]
Personal details
Born
Iryna Dmytrivna Farion

(1964-04-29) 29 April 1964
Lviv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Political partyAll-Ukrainian Union "Svoboda"
ChildrenSofia
Alma materLviv University
Occupationdocent, politician, philologist
AwardsOleksa Hirnyk Prize
Borys Hrinchenko Prize
WebsiteOfficial website

Biography

Farion graduated from the Philology School of the Lviv University in 1987 with honors, while her name was entered in the book "Toiling glory of University". During the college years she was a member of a Communist Party of the Soviet Union (the only student being in the Communist Party[3]).

In 1996 she defended her candidate dissertation. Since 2006 Farion became politically active balloting for People's Deputy of Ukraine mandate from the All-Ukrainian Union "Svoboda", of which she was a member since 2005. In 2006 Farion also successfully balloted to the regional council, while in 2010 she won in a majoritarian electoral district of Lviv.

Among her scientific works are four monographs and 200 articles. During 1998–2004 Farion headed language commission of Prosvita. Since 1998 she initiated and organized the annual competition among students "Language is a foundation of your life". In 2004 Farion became a laureate of Oleksa Hirnyk Prize (Oleksa Hirnyk). Farion publicly advocates the memory of Stepan Bandera,[4] unity of the Ukrainian West and East based on a statist thinking.

In the 2012 parliamentary election Farion was elected into parliament after winning a constituency in Lviv Oblast.[5]

In the 2014 parliamentary election Farion again tried to win a constituency seat in Lviv, but failed this time having finished third in her constituency with approximately 16% of votes.[6]

In the July 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election Farion again failed to return to parliament after finishing fifth with 10.35% of the vote in electoral district 116 in Lviv Oblast.[7]

Public opinion

Due to her political views Farion became infamous among the Russian-speaking population for her anti-Russian sentiments. The most fierce opponent of hers is a People's Deputy of Ukraine Vadym Kolesnichenko. Farion is also strongly against the Moscow Patriarchate, particularly within Ukraine.

The biggest resonance occurred on 19 February 2010, when as part of the action "Affirm the state language!" (on the International Mother Language Day) Farion held a class devoted to the problem of national identity in the Kindergarten #67 (Lviv). During the classes in sharp form she condemned Russification of Ukrainian names.[8][9] The same day unknown people posted online video of Farion on YouTube. The event became publicized in mass media and has caused mixed reviews. In particular, a People's Deputy of Ukraine from the Party of Regions Vadym Kolesnichenko appealed to the Prosecutor General of Ukraine to bring Iryna Farion criminally liable under Article 161 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (concerning discrimination against children based on language and ethnicity), while the Ukrainian People's Party condemned the speech of Farion as a provocation against the Ukrainian language. On the other hand, the head of the party "Svoboda" Oleh Tyahnybok defended his colleague.[10]

In summer 2012 several Russian-speaking mass media accused Farion of associating the Russian language with feces, based on her interview at local media. In the interview Farion clearly used a word for threshing floor, while the mass media interpreted it as homonym to it, yet completely different in meaning. Also in another case an argument arose between her and a driver of Lviv public transportation (route #54).[11] When Farion asked the driver to turn off the music he refused, when she reminded the driver that there is a prohibition of the local authorities for musical accompaniment in public transportation the latter refused stating that does not care.[11] Some sources state that the driver accused Farion of excessive love for the Ukrainian language. Later the driver was fired, while the Russian speaking mass media was pointing also to the fact that the music was in Russian language.[11]

Numerous mass media sources pointed out that Farion called the Russian language a language of occupants and expressed her opinion that anyone who does not speak Ukrainian ought to be jailed.[12][13]

During an interview on 8 April 2014 in the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament), she said that the arrest in Kharkov is a soft penalty, all Russian should be killed,[14] because the war between Russia and Ukraine since 1654 [15]

After the May 2014 massacre in Odessa, with 38 dead after a building was set on fire, she wrote on her personal Web page: "Bravo, Odessa. (...) Let the demons burn in hell." [16]

Awards
  • Oleksa Hirnyk Prize (2004)
  • Borys Hrinchenko Prize (2008)
  • Diploma of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan Patriarchate (2010) for book "Father Markiyan Shashkevych - the Ukrainian linguist"

Scientific publications
  • Ukrainian family names of the Carpathian Lviv Region at the end of 18th – beginning of 19th centuries (with etymological dictionary). National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Institute of folklore studies. "Litopys". Lviv, 2001.[17]
  • Antroponymy system of the Upper Dniester region at the end of 18th – beginning of 19th centuries (family names). Franko State University. Lviv, 1996.[18]

References
  1. You Scratch My Back, and I’ll Scratch Yours, The Ukrainian Week (26 September 2012)
  2. CEC registers 357 newly elected deputies of 422 Archived 2014-12-04 at the Wayback Machine, National Radio Company of Ukraine (25 November 2014)
    Parliament to form leadership and coalition on November 27, UNIAN (26 November 2014)
  3. "Фарион - звериное лицо "нациков" по заданию КПСС". Archived from the original on 2013-12-07. Retrieved 2013-07-19.
  4. Ірина Фаріон про Бандеру (Iryna Farion about Bandera) svoboda.org.ua at YouTube. October 8, 2009
  5. (in Ukrainian) Список депутатів нової Верховнсї Ради, Ukrayinska Pravda (11 November 2012)
  6. "Single-mandate district No.116". Central Election Commission of Ukraine. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  7. https://www.ukrinform.ua/rubric-elections/2746792-farion-i-podolak-postupilisa-na-viborah-knazickomu.html
  8. Фаріон ставить дитсадок на вуха (Farion puts the Kindergarten upside down). vgolos.com.ua at YouTube. February 19, 2010.
  9. Фаріон рулить у дитячому садочку (Farion rules in kindergarten). vgolos.com.ua at YouTube. February 19, 2010.
  10. Заява прес-служби ВО "Свобода" щодо мовної істерії українофобів та плазування псевдопатріотів (Statement by the Press Service of "Svoboda" on linguistic Ukrainophobes hysteria and adulation pseudo-patriots). Tyahnybok website. February 24, 2010
  11. Во Львове уволили водителя маршрутки, который отказался выключить русскую музыку по требованию Фарион (In Lviv fired the taxi driver who refused to turn off the Russian music on the request of Farion). Korrespondent.net. June 27, 2012
  12. Генпрокуратуру Украины привлекли к защите русского языка (Prosecutor General of Ukraine was petitioned for protection of the Russian language). Lenta.ru. June 20, 2012.
  13. Регионалы обратились в Генпрокуратуру для оценки высказываний оппозиции по поводу русского языка (Regionals appealed to the Prosecutor General to assess the statements of opposition on the Russian language). Korrespondent.net. June 19, 2012.
  14. "ПолитНавигатор » Фарион: Захватчики администраций в Харькове, Донецке и Луганске должны расстреливаться (ВИДЕО)". politnavigator.net. Retrieved 2014-09-14.
  15. "Плата за любов до ката. Ірина Фаріон". farion.info. Retrieved 2014-09-14.
  16. "Ірина Фаріон - Браво, Одеса. Перлина українського Духу.... | Facebook". facebook.com. Retrieved 2014-09-14.
  17. Book profile in the Maksymovych Science Library
  18. Information in the Vernadsky National Library
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