Californians have held rallies in major cities across the state to support the people of Ukraine as they resist the invasion launched last week by Russian forces at the command of President Vladimir Putin.
Demonstrators gather to rally in support of Ukraine in Santa Monica, California, on February 27, 2022. (Photo by RINGO CHIU / AFP) (Photo by RINGO CHIU/AFP via Getty Images)
Though outgunned and outnumbered, the Ukrainian forces have shocked the world by holding out against the Russian invaders, who are attempting to use a four-pronged attack by land, air, and sea to overrun Ukrainian forces, take the capital city of Kyiv, and overthrow the government.
Demonstrators march during a rally in support of Ukraine, in Santa Monica, California, on February 27, 2022. – Dressed in the blue and yellow of Ukraine’s flag hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets worldwide Sunday denouncing Russia’s invasion of its neighbor. From Berlin to Baghdad, from Washington to Saint Petersburg, demonstrators chanted “shame” against Russian President Vladimir Putin while others waved banners with slogans like “Putin murderer” or “stop the monster.” (Photo by RINGO CHIU / AFP) (Photo by RINGO CHIU/AFP via Getty Images)
Rallies were held in both Los Angeles and San Francisco on Saturday, and in Santa Monica on Friday. The Los Angeles Times reported:
Waving signs that said “Stop Putin,” about 100 Ukrainian Americans and Russian Americans opposed to the invasion kicked things off about 10 a.m. with a march through Hollywood. Residents of apartment buildings along Hollywood Boulevard waved and shouted messages of support from their balconies to the group, which included several families with young children.
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In Westwood, Ukrainian flags flapped in the breeze as drivers along Santa Monica and Sepulveda boulevards honked in support of dozens of demonstrators who had gathered there, waving signs and chanting “Save Ukraine” and “Glory to Ukraine.”
Most of the demonstrators were Ukrainian Americans, but there were also people from Latvia, Lithuania, Taiwan, Iran, Greece and Bosnia.
Demonstrators protest Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in the Studio City neighborhood of Los Angeles, California on February 24, 2022. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP) (Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)
The San Francisco Chronicle noted:
On Saturday afternoon, [Nina] Kozhokaru and her family joined hundreds of others in the plaza across from San Francisco’s Ferry Building to express rage and sorrow at the invasion of their home country and demand more action from the U.S. and other Ukrainian allies against Russia. Kozhokaru stood, crying and wrapped in a Ukrainian flag, as her 6-year-old daughter held a sign painted with a blue and yellow heart and the words “Grandma in Kharkiv.”
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On the third day of Russia’s military action in Ukraine, hundreds of Ukranians alongside supporters from other countries, including Russia, rallied in San Francisco to call for Western allies to step up sanctions against Russia as Russian troops pressed closer to Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital. The rally with an open microphone lasted nearly four hours. Many who spoke reiterated that they felt Ukrainians were fighting not only for themselves and their country, but against further westward initiatives by Russia.
Demonstrators march during a rally in support of Ukraine, in Santa Monica, California, on February 27, 2022. – Dressed in the blue and yellow of Ukraine’s flag hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets worldwide Sunday denouncing Russia’s invasion of its neighbor. From Berlin to Baghdad, from Washington to Saint Petersburg, demonstrators chanted “shame” against Russian President Vladimir Putin while others waved banners with slogans like “Putin murderer” or “stop the monster.” (Photo by RINGO CHIU / AFP) (Photo by RINGO CHIU/AFP via Getty Images)
The Santa Monica Daily Press reported:
Scores of Ukrainians and their supporters rallied in Palisades Park at the foot of the Santa Monica Pier in support of the besieged Eastern European nation on Friday afternoon, Feb. 25, the day after Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized a full-scale military invasion of the country.
“As we’re standing here in this beautiful California sun, my nephews and nieces back in Ukraine, who are like two years old and eight years old, are in bomb shelters with their parents, and there’s nothing I can do from here to directly protect [them],” a woman named Olga — who said she was a Ukrainian citizen — told the crowd gathered at Ocean Avenue and Colorado Avenue. She urged Americans to request Western governments impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine, cut Russia out of the SWIFT international banking system and send military arms to the Ukrainian Army.
“The Ukrainians are not just fighting for themselves; they’re fighting for the entire democracy of the world,” Olga said. “We need to help them win this fight.”
The battle continues, with NATO sending arms to Ukraine and SpaceX founder Elon Musk sending terminals to activate his Starlink satellite Internet system at the request of Ukrainian defense officials.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. His recent book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.