Around 70 members of the far-right organization "Patriots of Ukraine" marched in Kharkov, according to articles in the April 15 and 17, 2008 editions of the local newspaper Kharkovskie Izvestiya. Around 70-80 camouflage wearing marchers, some bearing torches in emulation of Nazi marches of the 1930s, gathered in the downtown area on April 12 in honor of the 240th anniversary of a Ukrainian uprising against foreign rule. The newspaper pointed out that thousands of Jews were killed during that uprising, but it is not clear if the marchers had any antisemitic intent. The march did, however, feature several racist outbursts, including a call for Ukrainian women "not to sleep with blacks and Arabs, just Ukrainians!" in order to "protect the genofund from decay." While not attempting to stop the march, which clearly violated Ukraine's laws against the incitement of ethnic hatred, local police to their credit appeared in large numbers and called for reinforcements when the marchers approached a dormitory for foreign students, most likely because past marches by this organization ended in assaults on minorities. Blocked from approaching the dormitory, the frustrated extremists screamed "death to the blacks!" as they filed past.

The demonstrators chanted threats of violence against minorities such as "Immigrants go home!" and "Remember, outsider, the Ukrainian rules this land!" The author of the article described how Arab market traders hid when the marchers approached them screaming "death to the blacks!"

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