VIDEO. In Toulouse, thousands of voices against the war in Ukraine
This Sunday more than 2000 people gathered in Toulouse to demonstrate once again against the war in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian national anthem resounds. Dozens of blue and yellow flags flutter in the wind. This Sunday in Toulouse, more than 2000 people saw their support for Ukraine, invaded by Russia. “It’s been more than a week since Vladimir Putin declared war. Since then, we have lived in fear. We worry about our loved ones who are living this conflict from within and who fall asleep every night with the sound bombs,” says Svetlana, who has lived in the Pink City for 10 years.
The Pulse of Europe Toulouse and the Ukraine Libre Mouvement Toulouse collective, the two organizers of this rally, had set the meeting place Saint-Cyprien at 2 p.m. The procession headed for the Church of Saint-Pierre-des-Cuisines, where it paused to pay homage to Queen Anne of Kyiv. “It is the symbol of this Franco-Ukrainian unity. She was regent on the death of her husband, Henry I,” explains Olena, a member of the Ukraine Libre Toulouse collective. The Franco-Slavic choir sang “Kieve miy”, a hymn in honor of the Ukrainian capital, which has been resisting the Russian army for several days.
“I thought about starting to fight”
In the crowd, on many placards, Russian President Vladimir Putin is made up as Hitler. “He’s his successor,” says Romans. The message of another sign calls out. “I am Russian and against the war”: this sentence hides Anna, a language student at the Toulouse Jean-Jaurès faculty. “I am happy to demonstrate in Toulouse against the atrocity suffered by Ukraine. In Russia, I could not have done it. It is horrible that my country is tearing Europe apart. Putin is a monster without heart, not in the image of the Russians”, she testifies, angrily. She was in her native country when the war broke out. Anna had to return urgently to France.
Demonstrators of various nationalities came to lend their support. Zouska, Slovak, describes the situation in his country bordering Ukraine: “There is a lot of fear. But also great solidarity. My mother is preparing the cabin in our garden to welcome the refugees.” The Ukrainians of Toulouse were present en masse. Gennadi, who arrived in France 26 years ago, “seriously thought about going to fight”. “My brother lives in Ukraine, he enlisted in the army. My two sons kept me here. That’s the only reason I stayed,” says the Toulousain.
Around 3 p.m., the procession arrived at Place du Capitole, where a platform had been set up. About ten people spoke. Among them, Élisabeth Tournieix-Palmme, president of Pulse of Europe Toulouse, recalled that “the unimaginable happened”. “It is Europe that is under attack,” she said. Several minutes of silence were observed. In the procession, many elected officials were present. Jean-Luc Moudenc, mayor of Toulouse, strongly recalled his “attachment to democratic values, friendship and the special link that Toulouse has with Ukraine (the city is twinned with Kiev, editor’s note)”. “My activism for Europe obliges me to come and support our Ukrainian friends”, specifies the city councilor. At 3:45 p.m., the organizers made an appointment with the crowd. Next Sunday, same time.