Bury St Edmunds Ukrainian refugees hold first protest on Angel Hill
Ukrainian refugees living in Bury St Edmunds held their first protest meeting over the weekend to mark five months since Russia waged war on Ukraine.
Up to 100 people with homemade placards joined in with the protest on Angel Hill on Saturday to raise awareness of the atrocities the Russian military has committed and ask residents to continue to 'stand in solidarity' with them.
Among the placards were Ukrainian flags and glimpses of traditional Ukrainian attire. The country's folk songs were sung and residents could ask questions about things they were unsure of about the war. Although the heightened media attention has waned, Ukrainians are urging us not to forget about the war going on in their home country.
Larysa Taranenko, one of the organisers of the protest who fled from Ukraine with her teenage nephew in May, said: "The whole world is getting tired of supporting us. We will stand as long as we have our physical potential. We are suffering but if we do not stop Russia, sooner or later other countries will suffer."
The peaceful protest was an opportunity for residents to learn about Ukrainian heritage, whilst showing their support.
"I was quite surprised to see the number of people who came," Larysa added. "I didn't know we had so many Ukrainians in the area.
"People who live here joined us, our host families and sponsors joined us too. They helped us with bringing out the posters, making flags - all kinds of symbolic items. Local people have been very helpful and everybody was united.
"The idea is to get people acquainted with our history, so they can understand that it's natural why we fight. We want people to support us and feel that there is no way that we can give up."
The protests will now happen every month on the Saturday closest to the 24th of the month - to mark when Russia waged war on Ukraine on February 24. It is hoped the next protest will happen on the Ukrainian independence day on August 24, although it hasn't been decided as of yet.
The group also hope to hold a fund-raiser to raise money for the Ukrainian army to help them buy night vision goggles or protective vests.
Marina Kralina, one of the organisers of the Multicultural Women's Group Bury St Edmunds who is also of Russian heritage, said: "I think it was quite successful. There was a big group of Ukrainian people with quite a lot of children. British people came to support too.
"I'd like to say thank you to our friends who printed the posters for free. We'd like to say a big thanks to all the hosts who opened their homes and hearts to Ukrainian people and all the British people who came with flags."
