On the fourth day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, many members of the diaspora gathered in downtown Montreal to express their pride and support for their loved ones in Ukraine.
Posted at 3:29 p.m.
Updated at 5:16 p.m.
Gathered under a first snowy then clear sky, the 300 or so demonstrators chanted “Ukraine! Ukraine! Ukraine! breaking the solemn atmosphere that reigned Place du Canada. Many families made their way through the crowd to listen to the speeches.
Amid the protesters, Tanya Sovyak-Krukovskaya swallowed a sob. “Even if we are far away, our heart is with them,” she breathes about her family and friends who have remained in the capital to defend Ukraine. Ukrainians need help, said the lady, who sported yellow and blue collars. “We are proud of them, they are our heroes,” she says. But we don’t want dead heroes; we want them alive. »
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
The approximately 300 demonstrators gathered in Montreal on Sunday chanted: “Ukraine! Ukraine! Ukraine! »
Oleksandr Balokha’s father is fighting with Ukrainian forces, says the young man, his eyes watering. “We are doing everything we can from here to help them, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Children have been killed, and the whole country has been bombed”, he laments, brandishing a placard on which one could read the slogan: “Putin = war crimes + genocide”. “The war must stop. »
Vira Serheieva, meanwhile, hasn’t slept since the start of the invasion. His relatives, scattered all over Ukraine, refuse to leave. “It’s asking,” breathes the young protester who has lived in Montreal for three years. “We watch the news constantly. Sunday’s rally gives her the strength to carry on, she says, holding a huge Ukrainian flag.
“We are all Ukrainians”
In the middle of the crowd, on a small stage, a good number of politicians followed one another, surrounded by demonstrators waving Ukrainian, Quebec and Canadian flags. “Ukrainians are fighting for their freedom, but also for our freedom,” said Paule Robitaille, MP for the Bourassa-Sauvé riding. “We are all Ukrainians! »
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
The blue and yellow flag was hoisted at the National Assembly, said Chantal Rouleau, Minister Delegate for Transport and responsible for the Metropolis and the Montreal region, to the applause of the crowd.
Behind the stage, Irina Kapa held up a sign which reads “Belarus supports Ukraine against the war”. “Our president is a dictator like Putin,” says the young woman. Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko now backs Russian forces, laments Mme Kapa, shaking his head. “It’s totally against the will of Belarusians,” she said. We love Ukrainians, they are brothers and sisters to us. »