PROTESTERS gathered in the city centre this afternoon to voice their discontent 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 who wanted to stand up and speak.
It was one of many anti-war protests which took place this weekend, with protests happening in Shoreham yesterday and another protest in Worthing today.
More than 1.5 million people have fled Ukraine to countries across Europe since Russia’s invasion began 11 days ago on February 24.
Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation” to Russian citizens in the early hours of that Thursday.
Since then, sanctions have been put in place on Russia, including the freezing of Vladimir Putin’s foreign assets and the exclusion of a number of Russian banks from the Swift international payments system.
Jeremy Weinstein is one of the people who spoke to the crowd at the Clock Tower.
He said: “We need to stand and we need to say that we oppose Putin and we oppose the tyrannical regime that has brought this war to the land of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people.
Anti-war protest at the Clock Tower this afternoon in Brighton.
— George Carden (@_GeorgeCarden) March 6, 2022
Several speeches being read out calling for “solidarity and the war to end.” pic.twitter.com/8UYIXYzWzi
“We need to stand with Russian journalists who have lost their jobs as a result of reporting on this war.
"We need to stand with the thousands of Russians who have been arrested for protesting the war in their various cities.
“We stand with the Russian opposition to the war and people of Ukraine. It’s necessary to say so again and again because there is a tiny minority that wants to justify and excuse the Russian invasion.”
Some of the protesters voiced their frustration at the “hypocrisy” of politicians in regards to rules allowing Ukrainian refugees into the country.
One protester said: “Refugees from the Ukrainian war whoever they are, not just because they have family in Britain. Whoever they are, our borders should be open and they should be welcome.”
The government faced criticism after it initially said Ukrainian people with immediate family in the UK could only stay in the country for one year. That has now been extended to three years.
People coming to the UK have to apply for asylum first, whereas in the EU all visa rules for Ukrainians have been waived which means an unlimited amount of people can live in those countries for three years.
Violet Kamionka, a Polish woman who lives in Brighton, also spoke about her concerns of potential Russian expansion to the crowd.
Among the various leaflets being handed out, Marios Sotiriou, Katialena Efstathiadi and Efrosini Dimitropoulou were handing out QR codes which people could scan on their phones. The codes link you to various ways to support the people of Ukraine.
Have you got a story for us? Email news@theargus.co.uk or contact us here.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up with all the latest news.
Sign up to our newsletter to get updates sent straight to your inbox.
You can also call us on 01273 021 400.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel