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‘Stop the war’: Thousands in Boston rally in support of Ukraine
Both Ukrainians and Americans passionately protested in downtown Boston Sunday.
The streets of Boston were filled with bright blue and yellow — the colors of the Ukranian flag — as thousands of protestors spoke out against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Sunday.
The protest took place as Russian President Vladimir Putin continued to escalate the attack, saying he ordered his nuclear forces to be on “high alert,” and as hundreds of thousands of people across the world took to the streets to protest.
The protest started at 1 p.m. in the Boston Public Garden, then protesters went over to the Boston Common and marched down Newbury Street, according to WBUR.
Photos from the protest show rallygoers holding signs that say “hands off Ukraine,” “stand up for Ukraine,” “stop Putin,” “we stand with Ukraine,” “stop bombing my home,” and “Putin is a war criminal.”
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One group even flew a giant heart of balloons in the colors of the Ukranian flag.
WBZ-TV’s Paul Burton interviewed a protester who was leading the march down Newbury Street.
“This war is crazy. People are dying, and Russia is the clear aggressor in this situation. The world has to react to stop the killings, to stop the war, and to stop Russia,” the protester, who identified himself as “Mike” said.
“Russia has never stopped being the evil empire, and now it’s showing it again.”
Mike also said he was amazed and touched by how many people came out to the protest, not just Ukrainians but also Americans with no connection to Ukraine.
In a video from the protest, a young woman makes a speech calling for peace.
“We march today for peace! For peace between nations and people. For peace in our home and around the world. We pray for peace and for the madness to stop and for safety for each of our countrymen,” she said.
“But in the pursuit of peace, we will never stop fighting back. We will never give up our home.”
Jesse Fusco, a 19-year-old Northeastern student who is studying political science and history, was part of the protest Sunday.
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He said he’s been feeling upset and confused about the war in Ukraine because he thinks Putin’s actions don’t make sense, not to mention that he feels terrible for the people of Ukraine.
“I think it’s really important that we show solidarity with victims of imperialism everywhere, including in Eastern Europe,” he said.
Fusco said he felt the crowd was angry about the war, but also happy to see so many people supporting Ukraine.
“There were people of a lot of different backgrounds there. I saw Lithuanians, I saw people that are on the far left, people that are more right wing. I saw people of all walks of life there,” he said.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu made an appearance at the protest, standing in solidarity with Ukrainian American Youth Association of Boston.
One video from the protest shows protesters chanting in Ukrainian, while another shows protesters walking down Newbury Street chanting “stop the war.”
Another video shows the protesters outside the State House chanting “hands off Ukraine.”
Here are some other photos and videos from the protest that have been shared on Twitter:
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