PROTESTERS gathered in the city center this afternoon to express their displeasure at the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
People gathered at the Jubilee Clock Tower in Brighton with a range of trade unions, anti-racism groups and others wanting to stand up and speak.
It was one of many anti-war protests taking place over the weekend, with protests in Shoreham yesterday and another in Worthing today.
More than 1.5 million people have fled Ukraine to European countries since the Russian invasion began 11 days ago on February 24.
Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation” to Russian citizens in the early hours of this Thursday.
Since then, sanctions have been put in place against Russia, including the freezing of Vladimir Putin’s foreign assets and the exclusion of a number of Russian banks from the Swift international payment system.
The crowd gathered from 12 p.m. until around 1:30 p.m.
Jeremy Weinstein is one of the people who spoke to the crowd at the Clock Tower.
He said, “We have to stand up and we have to say that we oppose Putin and we oppose the tyrannical regime that brought this war to Ukrainian land and the Ukrainian people.
Anti-war demonstration at the Clock Tower this afternoon in Brighton.
Several speeches are read calling for “solidarity and an end to the war”. pic.twitter.com/8UYIXYzWzi
—George Carden (@_GeorgeCarden) March 6, 2022
“We must support Russian journalists who have lost their jobs as a result of their reporting on this war.
“We must stand with the thousands of Russians who have been arrested for protesting the war in their various cities.
“We support the Russian opposition to the war and the Ukrainian people. It has to be repeated over and over again because there is a tiny minority that wants to justify and excuse the Russian invasion.
Some of the protesters expressed frustration with politicians’ “hypocrisy” over rules allowing refugees from Ukraine to enter the country.
One protester said: “War refugees from Ukraine, whoever they are, not just because they have family in Britain. Whoever they are, our borders must be open and they must be welcome.
The government has come under fire after initially saying Ukrainians with immediate family in the UK could only stay in the country for one year. This has now been extended to three years.
From left to right, Marios Sotiriou, Katialena Efstathiadi and Efrosini Dimitropoulou distributing leaflets
People coming to the UK must first apply for asylum, while in the EU all visa rules for Ukrainians have been lifted, meaning an unlimited number of people can live in these countries during three years.
Violet Kamionka, a Polish woman who lives in Brighton, also told the crowd her concerns about potential Russian expansion.
Among the various leaflets distributed, Marios Sotiriou, Katialena Efstathiadi and Efrosini Dimitropoulou distributed QR codes that people could scan on their phones. The codes connect you to various ways to support the people of Ukraine.
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Source: www.theargus.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-03-06 15:38:49
