The notes of the national anthem of Ukraine resounded on Saturday, in front of the Russian consulate in Montreal. A piece interpreted with emotion by the Ukrainian pianist Serhiy Salov, who said he was shaken “by the horror of war”.
Updated March 5
Serhiy Salov, renowned pianist living in Montreal since 2007, was accompanied on trumpet by Paul Merkelo, also Ukrainian. Both were installed in the body of a van. At the sound of the first notes, many of the approximately 200 people present put their hands on their hearts. Tears streamed down the cheeks of some protesters dressed in blue and yellow, while others hugged each other as they listened to the Ukrainian national anthem.
At 10and day of the invasion of Ukraine, the indignation was strong in the crowd, where placards “Putin = assassin” were brandished. Near the Consulate General of Russia, Serhiy Salov demanded that “we rename this section of the street ‘Place de l’Ukraine'”, to the applause of the demonstrators. The pianist, originally from Donetsk, in the Donbass region, had arrived earlier in a car painted in Ukrainian colors.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Serhiy Salov, Ukrainian-born pianist based in Montreal
One of Mr. Salov’s violinist colleagues, Katherine Palyga, held the scores in front of the two musicians. The Ukrainian-born woman told The Press that her husband spoke to his mother in Ukraine at least once a day. “These are sleepless nights,” she breathes. It’s hard to eat and not watch the news all the time. »
Yesterday, Mr.me Palyga has learned that two Ukrainians aged 21 and 24 that she knows have decided to leave Montreal to go fight. “I started crying”, drops the woman, dressed in a vest that belonged to her Ukrainian grandmother. “We often hear these stories, and it seems far from us, but there, it was close. »
“Stop the killing”
Before the national anthem rang out, members of the Ukrainian diaspora gave speeches, surrounded by Ukrainian and Quebec flags. “Please do your job and stop the slaughter of innocent people,” one woman pleaded, pointing to the Russian consulate, whose fence had been covered in red paint. A man then shouted “Long live free Ukraine!” », echoed in chorus by the crowd.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
One protester, Anna Lazarenko, stood a little behind, sporting a cap with a small Ukrainian flag pinned to it. “I’m here to stop it,” says the woman who has lived in Canada for 10 years. “My parents and my brother are in Ukraine. I know my family is in danger. »
Mme Lazarenko called “stupid” the attack by Russian forces on Friday against Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia, central Ukraine. “Those who attack a nuclear power plant are the first to die,” said the bank employee. According to her, Vladimir Putin acts as a “little king”. “Instead of doing good things for Russia, he attacks other countries,” she laments.
On the sidewalk nearby, Yuri Pryshchepa and his two uncles held signs that read in Ukrainian “Stop the war”. The grandmother and many friends of the 40-year-old man, who has lived in Canada for 11 years, are still in the country. “Every day, I have pain, he breathes. I live that with them. I listen to the news every day. »
Mr. Pryshchepa is upset that one of his uncles living in Russia gets information only from Russian television. “He doesn’t want to listen to me,” he complains. He defends Vladimir Putin and his regime. »
At the edge of the crowd, several people were holding a huge Ukrainian flag with balloons tied on it. Vladimir Poutine is a “being of violence”, launches Michèle Renaud, demonstrator of French origin, refusing to pronounce the name of the president of Russia. The woman who has lived in Canada for 40 years says she has to act in the face of “human suffering”.
Russians denounce the war
Later in the evening, about twenty demonstrators of Russian origin gathered in front of the consulate to denounce the war. Candles and stuffed animals had been placed there, in memory of all the Russian soldiers who died in combat. Sacrificed by President Vladimir Putin, who should have been “arrested” years ago, believes Oleg Maximoff, who organized the rally.
“Mothers mourn their sons. We must stop Putin, ”insists the Russian national.
For Elena Ivotchkina, her presence on Saturday evening was a way of saying that she opposes the war, while, in her country, those who criticize her risk imprisonment. “My heart bleeds when I see all that is happening. Looks like we’re in a nightmare. It’s serious, all these people who die every day, ”she drops, moved.
With the collaboration of Léa Carrier, The Press