On March 23, UAnimals activists and Campaign for Ukraine organized a demonstration outside the russian embassy in London, unfurling a banner with the inscription russia kills people and animals. Additionally, they attached a warning red ribbon to the fence of the embassy.
On this day, Earth Hour is celebrated worldwide: people conserve energy and care for the environment for at least 60 minutes. Therefore, in addition to this, UAnimals sought to draw attention to the fact that russia is destroying the nature and biodiversity of Ukraine.
While the world turns off its lights for an hour, russia is destroying Ukraine’s energy system, as emphasized by climate activist Victoria Ball during the demonstration. She appealed to Londoners to stop insisting on negotiations with terrorists and to strengthen sanctions against the aggressor country: “Urge your government to stop buying russian oil and gas! Why pay for destruction while simultaneously helping us recover? We can stop this nonsense by taking three steps: firstly, pressure leaders to strengthen sanctions on russian petroleum products; secondly, support the rapid provision of military assistance to Ukraine; thirdly, stop calling for negotiations with terrorists. Stand with Ukraine, stand for a common European future – democratic, green, and safe.”
Many Londoners expressed support for Ukraine, but there was an incident: a russian woman spat at one of the activists, and soon the police asked the participants of the rally to leave.
“We believe that this story is a vivid illustration of how with each day, Ukrainians find it increasingly difficult to fight for their rights and respect,” says Anastasiia Maksymchuk, representative of the international department of UAnimals. “If in the first months after the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Ukrainians felt support and solidarity from the world, now it is ceasing. We call on everyone to remember that the lives of Ukrainian people and animals are just as important as the lives of people and animals in other countries.”
Let’s stop the terrorist state that is destroying all life in Ukraine!
