Over 10,000 people gather in Paris in support of Ukraine – photos
More than 10,000 people gathered in Paris on Sunday, 23 February at Place de la République and marched to Place de la Bastille for a rally marking the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Source: Ukrinform
Details: Supporters marched behind a banner calling for unity for Ukraine’s victory, unfurling a 262-metre-long Ukrainian flag and chanting "Solidarity with Ukraine!"
The demonstrators included many French citizens as well as representatives of the Georgian and Polish communities. Officials from Paris City Hall, senators and deputies also came along to show their support.
Vadym Omelchenko, Ukraine’s ambassador to France, took part in the rally, stressing that France stands by the principle "Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine, nothing about Europe without Europe".
Among the slogans spotted on placards at the demonstration were "Trump, Putin, no negotiations without Ukraine!", "Putin means massacre and murder", and "Ukraine is not for sale".
Volodymyr Kohutiak, Vice President of the Ukrainian World Congress and Deputy Head of the Union of Ukrainians in France, said: "Today, as always, we called on France to deploy its military as guarantors of peace in Ukraine. We also called for the swift unfreezing of Russian assets to support Ukraine and a significant increase in military aid."
At Place de la République, activists from the feminist group Femen staged a demonstration with the message: "If Russia stops fighting, there will be no more war. If Ukraine stops fighting, there will be no more Europe."
The rally concluded with a concert by Serhii Vasiliuk, lead singer of the Ukrainian band Tin Sontsia, and a fundraiser for Ukraine’s Armed Forces.
Later on Sunday, the archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich, said a mass at Notre-Dame in memory of the war’s victims and for peace in Ukraine.
A total of 52 pro-Ukrainian demonstrations are planned across various regions of France to mark the third anniversary of the full-scale war.
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