Thousands of Torontonians gathered downtown on Sunday to march in support of Ukraine, mirroring mass demonstrations that have been held in major cities throughout the world. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was in attendance and gave a speech that warned that Russia would suffer consequences for its “barbaric war.”

“The West is relentless and we will cut the Russian economy off from contact with our own.”

The crowds were enormous, filling the entire square and the surrounding elevated pathways. Ukrainian flags were omnipresent as marchers sung the Canadian anthem and an assortment of Ukrainian songs, all the while waving smoke grenades that filled the air with clouds of blue and yellow, the colours of the Ukrainian flag.

One participant, Olesia, who had come to Nathan Phillips Square with her friends, spoke about how the war had impacted those close to her. “They are bombing our city. Our friends are hiding in bunkers all the time. They hear the sirens day and night. Today we were told that the Russian military was heading to our city. We’re just praying for them.”

photo: adam zivo (Olesia -fourth from the left, wearing black mask with her friends)

Another participant, Adrianna, expressed concern for her relatives. “My grandma is eighty and has some health issues. She’s not allowed to go to the hospital. My cousins are hiding and don’t have money to leave.” Adrianna’s father and brother, who live in Canada, want to fly to Ukraine to defend their home country. Though she worried about their wellbeing, she respected their bravery. “I hope the West helps us like they promised they would.”

Many of the protestors were not Ukrainian, but were members of nationalities that border Russia and have experienced similar forms of aggression.

One family waved large flags from Azerbaijan. A woman from that family provided some context, explaining, “The region is suffering from post-Soviet imperialist aggression coming from the Russian government. This is not a comment on the Russian people. We have over 200,000 Russians living in Azerbaijan. We live in peace and we’re friends, but, as a government, Russia has been continuously attacking our region,” she said.

She continued, “Russian soldiers were killing Azerbaijani civilians on the street in 1990 when we were trying to get independence. There’s a long history of this in the region.”

Another group of marchers waved Georgian flags. Much like Ukraine, Russia has long supported a separatist movement in northern Georgia. When Georgians overwhelmingly voted to join NATO in 2008, Russia had these separatists stir up violence in the region and then used that as a pretext to invade the country. Approximately 20 per cent of Georgia remains under de facto Russian control.

One of the Georgian flag-wavers, whose name is incidentally George, explained why he and his friends had come to the march. “We just want to support Ukrainians like they supported us when we needed it. It didn’t go unappreciated. It’s the little things we can do. I know it’s not much – people are literally dying in Ukraine right now, but this is just the least we can do.”

A group of Chinese protestors waved their own flags, too. For complicated historical reasons, they preferred to use Taiwan’s flag to represent China. They refused to have their faces photographed or have their interviews recorded, as “the Chinese government has informants everywhere,” but they explained that they felt a deep sympathy for Ukraine because they, too, yearned for freedom from authoritarianism. In a similar spirit, several protestors waved flags signaling support from Hong Kong’s diaspora.

Ivan, a marcher who carried a small sign that said “Russians Against War,” stressed the importance of distinguishing between Russian people and the Russian government. He said, “The Russian community does not support the war. We feel ashamed and guilty because we didn’t want this war. We used to defend our borders but never attack.”

He added, “My family lives in Russia right now and I feel really sorry for them. I don’t even have a chance to bring them here right now. We all know that there will be consequences and life in Russia will be much more difficult. Poverty will probably turn into hunger.”

Ivan was not the only Russian at the rally. On an elevated pathway, a group of Russian protestors had arrived with their Ukrainian friend, hoping to show solidarity together and underline that the conflict is driven by Putin and not the Russian people. Generally-speaking, Russian presence seemed robust throughout the rally.

The Canadian government shares the beliefs and values of these protestors. Though its initial response to the Russo-Ukrainian war was slow, Canada recently announced that it will close its airspace to all Russian aircraft and will send $25 million in non-lethal aid to Ukraine. Additionally, Canada has been a strong advocate for cutting Russia off from the SWIFT payment system, which would cripple Russia’s financial systems.

Toronto showed the best of itself on Sunday, as different communities came together to demonstrate against injustice. While the situation in Ukraine is rapidly evolving, hopefully Canada will continue to offer its vocal opposition to Russia’s resurgent imperial ambitions.