Putin has “done a lot of harm even to his own people”: Thousands of protesters protest against Ukraine’s invasion

This Friday thousands of people took to the streets of the capitals of several European countries to demand an end to the Russian occupation of Ukraine and peace in Europe, with some calling for NATO’s military action. According to representatives of the Spanish government, 1,000 people gathered this afternoon in Puerto del Sol in Madrid under the slogan “Not Putin or NATO”, where they questioned the role of the Atlantic Alliance in the conflict.

Protesters carried several posters, such as “Stop Putin”, “Peace” or “Freedom for Ukraine”, emphasizing their desire for a solution for the Eastern European country. At a multi-generational demonstration that brought together people of different ages, they shouted “No NATO, no outside bases”.

“We are anti-war, and for political and economic gain people are being sent to kill themselves for their own interests,” Pablo, a protester and member of the pro-concentration Communist Party of Spain, told EFE. Agency Pablo, an opponent and member of the Spanish Communist Party, is a United Left movement in the Madrid community.

In Georgia, about 30,000 people gathered on the main street of Tbilisi, waving Ukrainian and Georgian flags and singing the national anthem. “As we continue to experience Russia’s barbaric occupation of our soil, we feel sorry for the Ukrainians, perhaps more than any other country,” said Niko Tvauri, one of the protesters and a taxi driver.

“The world must oppose Putin, who wants the Ukrainians, the Georgians, to reclaim the Soviet Union. Ukraine is bleeding, and the world is watching over the sanctions imposed on Putin,” said French author Marie Tordia. , Which, after bombing Georgian villages, fought pro-Russian militants in the secessionist region of South Ossetia.

“Putin, assassin!”, “Yes to peace, no to war”. Thousands attended the torchlight procession in Rome today. “Ban Russia from Swift”, “Total siege of trade with Russia”, can be read on the banners. Other posters showed a bloodied hand on the Russian president’s face or compared him to Hitler: “Do you recognize it when history repeats itself?”

The demonstration, which was attended by many Ukrainians and Italians of Ukrainian descent, moved into view and continued peacefully around the collegium. “We have always been close to the Ukrainian people … From here, our sense of powerlessness is enormous. Now we can do nothing else,” Maria Sergei, an Italian born in Russia, told AFP that the Ukrainian flag (yellow and blue) was painted on her face. Vladimir Putin has done a lot of harm, even to his own people. We have many friends who have been greatly affected by their policies, ”he added.

More than a thousand people today took to Downing Street, the headquarters of the British government, to demand that NATO take military action and order that no planes be flown to prevent bombings. More protesters carried Ukrainian flags and banners targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin than in similar protests this week in the British capital, London.

While singing the Ukrainian national anthem, they repeatedly chanted slogans such as “Stop the war”, “United Kingdom, weapon Ukraine”, “We need help now” or “Russia is going home”. In the midst of great emotion, children and entire families, mainly Londoners, went to the home of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to hear their voice.

A protest to commemorate children who died during the civil war between 1992 and 1995 took place in Sarajevo today. Protesters, including Ukrainians living in Bosnia and Herzegovina, carried banners with the message “Learn from Sarajevo and save Kiev.” End the Russian occupation.

The group of activists organizing the “Peace Struggle” recalled that the Bosnians had recovered from the war for decades but were still afraid of new conflicts. “We stand with the people directly affected by the occupation of Ukraine [Vladimir] Putin […], With the Russian people who oppose the Putin regime, ”the group said. “It is our duty to ask for peace and to put an end to artificial polarization,” they said, condemning all wars and calling for “food and dignity for the people instead of weapons.”