“Putin Assassin”, “Free Ukraine”, “Defending peace in Ukraine is defending peace in Europe”. The signs are brandished high in the Toulouse procession organized this Sunday afternoon by the Ukraine Libre Toulouse collective, Ukrainians living in the pink city.
1,500 gathered at their call to protest against the war in Ukraine, launched overnight from Wednesday to Thursday by Russian President Vladimir Toulouse.
Giuliya came with her Ukrainian flag. Settled in France since 2014, this woman from Kiev would like to return to her family, refugees about sixty kilometers from the Ukrainian capital. Impossible for the moment, so Giuliya came to demonstrate to denounce the Russian invasion. “We were like brother and sister and there Russia stuck a knife in our backs, believes Giuliya. We have more freedom than in Russia, and now they want to cut us off. Putin wants to make us Russian slaves.”
“This war is not in the name of the Russian people”
Eugène also flutters his blue and yellow flag in the streets of Toulouse. This Ukrainian believes that we must act now against Vladimir Putin: “If we don’t do something now, I’m sure Putin will go further, with fights in other countries, like Finland. The further he goes, the more deaths there will be in the future” denounces the 28-year-old man.
More discreet, Mayya stands under a sign in the colors of the Ukrainian flag, crossed out by the slogan “Stop Poutine”. Mayya is Russian, married to a Frenchman and “does not support the idea that Ukraine does not have the right to choose its destiny on its own.” “All this aggression, this war, it’s not in the name of the Russian people, it’s not our decision. I feel sick, really sick” Mayya continues.
“I can’t believe that Ukraine is the terminus of this whole thing for Putin, worries about her side Katarina, originally from Kiev. Because Putin does not attack Ukrainian culture. He announced war on European culture, against democracy freedom of expression.”
“Putin is not attacking Ukrainian culture. He has announced war on European culture.” Katarina
“It’s as if it happened in Paris because there is no difference. There is no difference between cultures. You can’t just look like that from afar” believes Katarina, who salutes the mobilization of the day: “It allows you to put pressure on politicians who can decide to do something”
The mobilization ended on the Place du Capitole a few hours before the announcement of new sanctions by the European Union against Russia and new aid for Ukraine.