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While more than 3,500 people were arrested in Russia during protests against the military intervention in the neighboring country, tens of thousands took to the streets in western capitals for Ukraine. Demonstrations against Russian President Vladimir Putin were also held outside of Europe, for example in New York – and in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city.
According to the organization OVD-Info, there were rallies in around 50 cities in Russia on Sunday against the military operation in Ukraine. More than 3,500 people have been arrested, Russia’s Interior Ministry confirmed on Sunday. According to the ministry, there were 1,700 in Moscow, 750 in St. Petersburg and over 1,000 in other cities. A total of 5,200 people took part in the protests.
Videos on social media showed protesters shouting “no to war” and “shame”. Dozens of people in the Ural city of Yekaterinburg were shown being taken away. One was beaten to the ground by police in the pictures. A mural was seen, missing the face of President Vladimir Putin. The Reuters news agency was unable to verify the videos.
OVD’s Maria Kuznetsova said the bolts were being tightened to the maximum, as in martial law. Still, the people fought back. “We’re seeing pretty big protests today, even in Siberia where you rarely see such high numbers of detainees.”
More than 30,000 on demo in Hamburg
According to the police, around 30,000 people demonstrated in Hamburg on Saturday for solidarity with Ukraine and for peace in Europe. More than 10,000 people took part in a joint rally in the neighboring cities of Mannheim and Ludwigshafen, and there were also demonstrations in many other German cities. There were also numerous campaigns nationwide on Sunday, including in Berlin.
More than 42,000 in France
In Paris, people were determined to continue protesting: “We will be here every weekend, in Paris or elsewhere, until Putin leaves and pulls out his tanks,” said Aline Le Bail-Kremer, a member of the Stand With Ukraine organization. According to the French Interior Ministry, around 42,000 people demonstrated nationwide on Saturday.
Demos from Brussels to Almaty (Kazakhstan)
Several thousand people also demonstrated in the Belgian capital of Brussels against Russia’s war against Ukraine. According to preliminary police figures, around 3,500 demonstrators gathered in the city center to express their solidarity with Ukraine, the Belga news agency reported on Sunday. They carried posters with inscriptions such as “Stop the war” or “Europe, be brave, act now”. The crowd chanted “Russians, go home!”
More than a thousand people rallied in support of Ukraine in the Croatian capital of Zagreb, holding signs reading “Stop the war, save Europe” and “Glory to Ukraine.” Many protesters wrapped themselves in blue and yellow flags.
In Kazakhstan, the authorities, who regularly ban political demonstrations, surprisingly gave the green light for a large-scale demonstration in the metropolis of Almaty. On Saturday, more than 2,000 people gathered, sang the Ukrainian national anthem and chanted peace slogans and some insults to Putin.
Kazakhstan’s political leadership is considered loyal to Putin. Most recently, however, the Kazakh foreign ministry emphasized its neutrality in the Ukraine conflict and invited the British ambassador to talks after calls for sanctions against Russia’s allied countries became louder in Great Britain. Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan were explicitly mentioned.
In Rome, many signs and posters from participants in a peace train read: “No to Putin, no to NATO.” The well-known Italian cartoonist, actor and writer Vauro Senesi spoke of “real peace demonstrations”: “No one here believes that peace can be made with arms, that it can be achieved by sending arms to one of the parties, Ukraine.”
According to the Swiss news agency Keystone-SDA, more than 40,000 participants gathered in Zurich’s city center under the motto “Peace now”. The demonstrators called for an immediate ceasefire, diplomatic negotiations and the withdrawal of Russian troops, as reported by the TV station SRF.
In London, hundreds of demonstrators gathered in the well-known Trafalgar Square. They held Ukrainian flags and signs reading “Putin kills” or “Total embargo on Russia”. Around a thousand people demonstrated in New York’s Times Square with sunflowers and signs calling for “stop Russian terrorism”.
Source: Nachrichten
