Hundreds of people demonstrated on several streets in downtown Montreal on Saturday afternoon to demand an end to the war in Ukraine.
Sainte-Catherine Street is colored yellow and blue as far as the eye can see as hundreds of people demonstrate, a Ukrainian flag in hand, at the initiative of the Ukrainian Provincial Council Montreal/Quebec.
Many mothers walk while rolling empty strollers in front of them, symbols of the many children who have died since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
“The Ukrainian people have the right to live”, chant the demonstrators, who also urge NATO to “close the skies” by imposing a no-fly zone over Ukraine.
Reception of refugees
Protesters of all ages also gathered around 2 p.m. near La Fontaine Park as part of a separate event against the war in Ukraine as well as the seven-year-old war in Yemen. They then started a march further south on rue Ontario, where they notably crossed rue Saint-Denis before continuing further west.
The demonstrators are urging Canada, among other things, to facilitate the arrival of refugees from Ukraine and Yemen in the country. Some also oppose Ottawa sending lethal weapons to Ukraine, saying instead they want to see Canada take part in efforts to broker peace in the region.
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