Russia’s attack on Ukraine shocked the world. People around the world are demonstrating their solidarity with Ukraine at demonstrations.
Kiev – Russia under President Vladimir Putin has been attacking Ukraine since Thursday (April 24, 2022). Russian troops are said to have already advanced into numerous areas of Ukraine, and the invasion of the Ukrainian capital Kiev is also imminent. People all over the world show their solidarity with Ukraine and demand the withdrawal and stop of Russian troops.
Citizens in Russia* also demonstrated against Vladimir Putin*’s attack on Ukraine. According to civil rights activists, around 1,700 people were arrested during the protests against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine*, such as the Russian human rights organization OVD-Info. AFP journalists observed dozens of arrests on Moscow’s Pushkin Square.
War in Ukraine: demonstrators arrested in Russia
Demonstrations were banned by the Russian government and severe penalties were threatened for those taking part. Russia, on the other hand, spread the wrong information that only about several hundred demonstrators had been arrested, as ZDF reported. The right to demonstrate has been restricted in Russia for years. Dissenters and members of the opposition face long prison sentences.
Smaller demonstrations have already taken place in the past few days in front of the Chancellery in Berlin, the seat of government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz* (SPD*). Further demonstrations are planned in various German cities, including Berlin, Hamburg and Frankfurt am Main. A large demonstration for peace in Berlin has been announced for Sunday (February 27th, 2022). Around 20,000 people have registered for the rally at the Berlin Victory Column, as Christoph Bautz of the Campact association, one of the initiators, said on Friday (February 25, 2022). Other peace and aid organizations called for participation in the event. The appeal has the motto “Stop the war! Peace for Ukraine and All Europe”. It calls on Russia’s government to immediately stop all attacks, withdraw from Ukraine and return to the negotiating table.
The Peace Commissioner of the Evangelical Church in Germany, Friedrich Kramer, also called for demonstrations for peace. The only basis for a just peace is international law. The attack on Ukraine represents a blatant breach of international law and endangers peace throughout Europe, said the regional bishop. “War is raging in the middle of Europe, Russian President Vladimir Putin has crossed borders. We must not remain silent about this,” said Kramer.
Ukraine War: Demonstrations in the Czech Republic and Poland
Thousands of people also demonstrated against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in the former Soviet republic of Czechia. Solidarity rallies with Ukraine were held in several Czech cities. In Prague on Thursday evening (February 24th, 2022), around 3,000 demonstrators gathered on Wenceslas Square in the city center, holding up slogans such as “Stop Putin” and “We will not give up Ukraine”.
According to the DPA and AFP, around 2,000 people gathered in front of the Russian embassy in the Bubenec diplomatic district to protest against the war. They sang the Ukrainian national anthem and protest songs from the time of the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in August 1968. According to the CTK agency, the police temporarily arrested two activists. They are said to have smeared an embassy wall with red paint.
Spontaneous demonstrations also took place in other cities in the Czech Republic, including Brno, Ostrava and Olomouc. In Znojmo, activists covered the statue of a Red Army soldier with a Ukrainian flag. Ukraine is less than 400 kilometers away from the Czech Republic. There were also protests in Poland, a neighboring country to Ukraine, for example in front of the Russian embassy in Warsaw. NATO is increasing the troops at the NATO* external borders. It is feared that Putin could extend his invasion to other former Soviet states.
Ukraine conflict: demonstrations in the USA
Also in the USA* people took to the streets to demonstrate against Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. Hundreds of people gathered in New York for a rally. With Ukrainian flags and posters, they gathered on Thursday (February 24, 2022) and on Friday night (February 25, 2022) in Times Square, in front of the Russian consulate and the United Nations, among other places.
Long queues formed in front of the city’s numerous Ukrainian restaurants and bars. According to Mayor Eric Adams, around 150,000 Ukrainians live in New York, making them the most Ukrainians in the United States. “This unprovoked and unjustifiable invasion of their homeland is an attack on freedom,” the Democratic Party* politician wrote on Twitter. US President Joe Biden* announced tough sanctions and the stationing of more US soldiers in Germany.
Demonstrations against the war in Ukraine in Great Britain and the Netherlands
People also demonstrated in front of the United Nations International Court of Justice in The Hague in the Netherlands against Putin’s invasion and the breach of international law. In London, the capital of Great Britain*, people gathered in front of No. 10 Downing Street, the seat of government of the United Kingdom.
War in Ukraine: Demonstrations in Sweden, Finland, Italy and the Vatican
Demonstrations against the invasion of Ukraine also took place in Sweden. Swedish climate and environmental activist Greta Thunberg showed solidarity with Ukraine during her climate protest on Friday. 19-year-old Thunberg stood in front of the Russian embassy in Stockholm with other demonstrators. She held a small sign in the blue and yellow national colors with the inscription “Stand with Ukraine” in her hand. This shows a photo that Thunberg himself published on the Internet. There were also demonstrations for peace and against the Russian invasion in Helsinki, the Finnish capital.
Several hundred people prayed for peace in Ukraine at the evening prayers of the Community of Sant’Egidio in Rome on Thursday evening. According to the Evangelical Press Service, diplomatic representatives were among them. Sant’Egidio founder Andrea Riccardi said: “Until last night we were free to dream of peace; now we are slaves to a war in the hands of a few.” Rome’s local and national government had lit the Colosseum in Ukraine’s colors of blue and yellow as a show of solidarity with Ukraine. A torchlight peace rally is planned for Friday night on the Capitol. (dpa, AFP, epd, df) * fr.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA
Picture list: © David Dee Delgado / afp
