The story of Robert, one of the organisers of the Ukrainian Rally in Washington DC
Robert Harvey is 33 years old. After earning his bachelor’s degree in psychology, he began volunteering for Ukraine full-time. For almost two years now - since April 2022 - he has been rallying in support of Ukraine every day. He doesn’t remember the exact date on which he started, as it didn’t seem important to him at the time - although he knew his actions counted, he didn’t expect anyone to consider the date significant further down the line. We present to you the story of Robert, the American who has rallied for Ukraine every single day for two years in Washington DC.
"To encourage others to spread the word about this brutal and inhumane war"
Robert is of Eastern European and American descent. His mother hails from the former East Germany, whilst his father’s family has lived in the United States for a long time. The protests against the continued existence of the Berlin Wall, which would go down as a pivotal moment in history, were a bit before his time. In Robert’s words, whilst he didn’t grow up in the Soviet Union itself, he "walked in its shadows", always being aware of its legacy. Now Robert feels a duty to encourage others to spread the word about the brutal and inhumane war in Ukraine.
"Personally, I’m very concerned about protecting human rights and preventing genocide. I thought Putin’s declaration in early 2022 that he wished to commit genocide in Ukraine was terrible, and I was very strongly opposed to it. Of course, I still am today."
Robert Harvey lives in Northern Virginia, across the river from Capitol Hill, and can see DC’s monuments from his home. It takes him about 30 minutes each way to reach the location at which the rally is held.
"I wasn’t invited to join a formal organisation. The Ukrainian Rally in DC isn’t even a registered non-profit; it’s just a group of like-minded activists. We gave the group an identity and a social media presence to spread the word that the rallies are taking place", Robert adds.
On the 24th of February 2024 - the second anniversary of Russia’s full-fledged invasion of Ukraine - a huge rally will take place near the Lincoln Memorial at 2PM. All pro-Ukrainian activists in the United States are encouraging people to spread the word.
"I want the audience to consider for a second that what I do - which is to stand in front of a public building and hold a demonstration - is perfectly legal in the United States [in contrast to Russia]. Anybody can lobby elected representatives by phoning their offices and leaving a voicemail. You can even legally protest in front of the White House itself. So I encourage every legal resident of the United States to come [join the rally] if they happen to be visiting DC. The risks I’m taking by doing this are utterly minimal compared to those the people of Ukraine face [just to go on living their normal lives]," says Robert.
"Every day I wake up and check [the news] to see whether Putin is still attempting to commit genocide in Ukraine. Every day I read that he indeed still is. And so I continue to do this."
Unlike many other Americans, Robert closely followed Putin’s campaign of disruption to Ukraine back in 2014, which manifested itself most prominently in the invasion of Crimea and the occupation of the country’s easternmost regions by puppet separatist groups. Come early 2022, Robert again found himself paying close attention to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Subtitled broadcasts of Russian officials unabashedly making statements along the lines of "We are strong, and our neighbours are weak; our goal in invading them is to destroy their culture, their language, their heritage and make them cease to exist", or openly stating their belief that Ukraine’s existence was a mistake and that the invasion served to correct a grave historical error, concerned him profoundly.
"And this kind of sentiment is exactly the sort of thing that the Nazis and other fascist movements of the early 20th century took to heart," said Robert, emphasising that the Russian occupation of Ukraine was in no way altruistic in intent - as certain Russian officials tried to claim when they spun the attack as an act of "liberation" or "denazification". Not when others had made contrasting statements celebrating the destruction of the Ukrainian language and culture.
"Ukraine is actually very large compared to most other countries, particularly [other Eastern European countries who are] NATO members and US allies like Estonia. So if Putin thinks he can successfully conquer Ukraine, he’ll also conclude that he can definitely make it to Tallinn in three days. He may or may not be capable of achieving that military objective, but he certainly thinks he is. And there are some young people - well, many young people, actually - like myself in Europe and the United States alike who are acknowledging the reality that Putin has to be stood up to. We must ensure his defeat, and supporting Ukraine in the rally is one way to help."
At one point, Robert led his daily rally in front of the White House for an hour or so each afternoon. "We were trying to make an impression on President Biden’s staff. Not so much the President himself, who doesn’t always pay close attention to what is going on in front of the White House. But his staff do use the entrances [near the rally area] sometimes," says Robert. Since December of last year, the rallies have mostly been held outside of the US Congress, because a crucial Ukrainian aid authorisation bill is currently being prevented from passing into law.
"One [good] thing about this particular spot is that you can make eye contact with all of the people whom you want to vote in favour of supporting Ukraine. Not all of them will make eye contact back, but from my experience rallying outside the White House and having various people come by to voice their appreciation for what I’m doing, [I know that my efforts are appreciated]. In this spot right here you’ll be seen by many House members, senators, and their staff."
Right now, there is a very vocal minority phoning congressional offices and asking their congressmen not to do anything to support Ukraine. All the while, the quiet majority of Americans understand that continued support for Ukraine is important.
"The big problem is that the US Congress is not reflecting the will of the people. We need those 70% of [pro-support] Americans to pick up their phones, call their congressperson’s office and tell them that they absolutely must support Ukraine, and that doing so is necessary," insists Robert.
"Vladimir Putn wants to destroy the culture of the [Ukrainian] people; if they won’t submit to having their language and culture eliminated, he will eliminate those who speak out against it. And with him, we’re not even certain that he’ll [stop at Ukraine and not try to invade other countries]. We, as American supporters of Ukraine, must remind fellow Americans that appeasing Putin’s wishes to keep the peace simply wasn’t an option available to the Ukrainians themselves. Every day I wake up and check [the news] to see whether Putin is still attempting to commit genocide in Ukraine. Every day I read that he indeed still is. And so I continue to do this," says Robert.
Author: Uliana Boichuk
Editing: Ben McBride