"
Cursed be the war
", "
Putin is bombing my beautiful Ukraine
": several hundred demonstrators protested Saturday noon on the Old Port in Marseille and Montpellier against the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
Other meetings are scheduled for the day around the world, and in particular in Paris.
To discover
LIVE - Follow minute by minute the evolution of the war in Ukraine and the battle of Kiev
In Switzerland, several thousand people - including a thousand, according to the police, in Geneva opposite the United Nations' main headquarters in Europe - demonstrated in support of Ukraine, demanding strong measures against Russia.
Read alsoAs Ukraine bends under Russian bombs, the allies begin to worry about their own safety
This Saturday, in Tokyo
,
residents also participated in a rally to denounce the actions of Russia.
“
We have to turn up the pressure of the world (against Russia).
It's a war between dictatorship and democracy
,” a protester said.
Rally in the Shibuya district of Tokyo to protest against Russia's invasion of Ukraine, February 26, 2022.
CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP
Shibuya district, in Tokyo, February 26, 2022.
CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP
At the end of the morning, Rome was the scene of a rally at the call of trade unions and associations which brought together more than a thousand people, sometimes with their families, around a podium decorated with the inscription : “
Against the war
”.
The demonstrators brandished signs: "
Make love, not war
", "
We want peace
"...
Demonstrators hold placards which read 'I am not a pacifist, I am against war' during a demonstration organized by the Italian associations of the Network for Peace and Disarmament, the trade unions Cgil, Cisl, Uil and other organizations to protest against Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Piazza Santi Apostoli, in central Rome, on February 26, 2022. ANDREAS SOLARO / AFP
Already the night before, thousands of people had held a torchlight march to the Colosseum.
“
Putin, murderer!
“, “
Yes to peace, no to war
”, “
Banish Russia from Swift
”, could one read on banners.
Other placards showed Russian President Vladimir Putin with a bloodstained hand on his face, or comparing him to Hitler with the words: “
Can you recognize history when it repeats itself?
»
A protester holds a banner that reads 'Ukraine belongs to Putin' as she takes part in a rally in Rome, February 25, 2022, against Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
FILIPPO MONTEFORTE / AFP
A woman holds a banner and a candle in front of the ancient Colosseum, as she takes part in a rally in Rome, February 25, 2022, against Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
FILIPPO MONTEFORTE / AFP
30,000 gathered Friday evening in Georgia
On Friday, nearly 30,000 people gathered in Georgia, a former Soviet republic.
The war, which Kiev says has already killed at least 198 civilians, has caused a sense of deja vu in this country, which was also the victim of a devastating Russian invasion in 2008. Protesters marched on the capital's main thoroughfare Tbilisi, waving Ukrainian and Georgian flags and singing the anthems of the two countries.
"
We have compassion for Ukrainians, perhaps more than other countries, because we have experienced Russia's barbaric aggression on our soil
," taxi driver Niko Tvauri told AFP. 32 years old.
Demonstrators hold their smartphones with lit torches while others hold signs during a rally in support of Ukraine, in Tbilisi, February 25, 2022. VANO SHLAMOV / AFP
In Athens on Friday evening, in front of the Russian Embassy, more than 2,000 people gathered at the call of the Greek Communist Party and the radical left party Syriza.
Traditionally pro-Russian, these parties have denounced “
the invasion of Ukraine by Russia
” and an “
imperialist war against a people
”.
Read alsoHubert Védrine: “Putin is making a historic mistake”
These demonstrations of solidarity are not confined to Europe: in Montreal, Canada, dozens of people did not hesitate on Friday afternoon to face a snowstorm to protest under the windows of the Consulate General of Russia.
A child holds a Ukrainian flag as members of the Ukrainian community demonstrate outside the Consulate General of the Russian Federation, February 25, 2022 in Montreal, Quebec.
ANDREJ IVANOV / AFP
A man burns his Russian passport as members of the Ukrainian community protest outside the Consulate General of the Russian Federation, February 25, 2022 in Montreal, Quebec.
ANDREJ IVANOV / AFP
In recent days, other demonstrations have also been organized in Halifax, Winnipeg, Vancouver and Toronto.
In Argentina, nearly 2,000 people, including Ukrainian immigrants and Argentine descendants of Ukrainians, demonstrated in Buenos Aires on Friday, asking the Russian Embassy for "
the unconditional withdrawal
" of the troops of "
the assassin
" Putin.
Photo published by Telam of a young girl from the Ukrainian community holding a sign saying “We are with Ukraine” during a march in Buenos Aires on February 25, 2022. PABLO ANELI / TELAM / AFP
Tokyo, Taipei, Curitiba (Brazil), New York and Washington have also been the scene of demonstrations.