Since late February, locals from differing walks of life have gathered almost daily outside the Russian embassy compound united in their disgust at Russia’s war against Ukraine. M J BROWN gives voice to their protest…

EVER drive down Canberra Avenue and wonder what the people with the various flags and signs displayed on the median strip between the Russian embassy compound and the Kingston Hotel are doing? 

Wonder what motivates these people? Wonder why you are being asked to honk your horn as you drive past?

We protesters are standing with the people of Ukraine and people worldwide who cherish democracy, sovereignty, peace and the rule of law. We wish to send a loud and clear message to the Russians that the unprovoked war they have waged unjustifiably against Ukraine must stop. We are shocked and horrified by their barbarism and the carnage they are causing. Your toot, honk, hoot – even better, blare – of your horn amplifies our message.

Our protests have evolved organically. The first was an impromptu, Facebook-connected rally held outside DFAT the day after the invasion of Ukraine. 

The first Saturday protest occurred outside the Russian compound the next day. On March 1, a lone figure holding a Ukrainian flag initiated the weekday protests. Many of us met for the first time at the protests, but a core group of people knew one another when they moved in the ’50s with their Ukrainian parents, who had been sent to Queanbeyan to start a new life after World War II. 

Government and the community have continued to support our rallies. The Kingston Hotel, which often barracks for the underdog, has hoisted the Ukrainian flag and also stores the repurposed “Open House” signs and corflutes two local protesters made. Another resident has a Ukrainian flag and a “no war” sign emblazoned on his trailer near our demonstrations. The AFP keeps us and others safe.

You can see us in action most days. We are a motley group, recently arrived Ukrainians, dual nationals and non-Ukrainians with no personal connection to Ukraine except our common humanity. Our ages range from our teens to our 80s. We are: married, divorced, single, separated, widowed; parents with children and those avowedly childless; former or current academics, business owners, jacks of all trades, overseas volunteers, skilled and unskilled labourers, soldiers, priests, public servants, students, teachers, traffic controllers – a rainbow continuum of different identities, political affiliations, races and religious and secular beliefs and values. 

But we all share an overarching goal – a sustainable peace in Ukraine that is acceptable to the people of Ukraine.

Here are the voices of the protesters: 

• “[The Russians] have been raping and pillaging for centuries… This is not new… They must be stopped and my mission is to get them expelled. These [people] aren’t diplomats – they are terrorists. They are enjoying our lifestyle while they are killing children. I am here to remind [the Russians] that we know who they are and that they won’t get away with it. I can’t fire a weapon, but I can hold a flag.” 
• “I hate war, and I don’t understand it. This war is unprovoked and destructive. I am sorry for Ukrainian and Russian deaths. I support the Ukrainians right to self-defence, and if I could think of something else [to do other than protest], I would.”
• “I think that this is the worst international incident in my lifetime. I want the Australian government to give billions of dollars in aid…”
• “I’m Lithuanian. I stand by Ukraine. The most beautiful and peaceful people I’ve ever met are Ukrainians. They are too peaceful, which is maybe why they’re getting bashed up by the Russians.”
• “First of all, I am Ukrainian. My parents are Ukrainian and I feel very strongly [about protesting] because my mother’s parents were arrested and sent to Siberia and died there…”
• “I’m Ukrainian/Australian. I support the freedom, democracy, and sovereignty of the Ukrainians. The Ukrainian invasion has global implications for the free world.”
• “I came here to show my support… Originally I am from Ukraine, which was invaded by the Russians eight years ago [referring to Crimea]. I haven’t seen my family for this long time.”
• “I want to show my protest, support my country and I want the Russian people to go home to their country. I want to stop the war as soon as possible. I don’t want Ukrainians to be killed.”
• “My parents are Ukrainian, displaced people who came to Australia in 1949… I am here because of my Ukrainian heritage and because I have relatives in Ukraine. I am here to get this place [the Russian embassy] shut down… and to support the [protesters] here.”
• “My parents will be turning in their graves. I’m glad that they are not here to see it. How can you not do something?”
• “We all want to see the murder, rape and the molestation of children stop because that is what it is. It has to stop. [I don’t want] revenge on the Russians; it just has to stop.”

We demand that the Russians learn to survive without Ukraine by stopping this barbaric, unprovoked, illegal war. Russians, go home to Russia.

Join the protest opposite the Kingston Hotel, weekdays 12.30pm-1.30pm and Saturdays, 10am-11.30am. 

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