Hundreds gather in Halifax to show solidarity with Ukrainian people

Hundreds gathered at Grand Parade in downtown Halifax on Saturday afternoon to protest the Russian invasion of Ukraine and to call for a stop to the war.

The planned gathering started with relatively few people, but the crowd grew quickly.

Some people carried Ukrainian flags while others carried banners and umbrellas in the Ukrainian national colours of yellow and blue.

The Ukrainian flag was already flying on the flagpole at  Grand Parade 

There were also large pieces of yellow and blue cloth stretched around the crowd like a ribbon.

Many carried placards bearing messages such as "Stop Putin! Stop the war!" and "Stand with Ukraine." 

A tearful Nadia Timoshenko, who lives in HRM, said her ancestors were from Ukraine and she grew up in Toronto immersed in Ukrainian culture. 

She still has distant relatives there and doesn't know what is happening to them.

According to Timoshenko, the events in Ukraine in recent days have hit her hard because of her deep connections to the country and culture.

I think it's important for Ukrainians and all humans to come together and stand against this," Timoshenko said.

"This shouldn't happen in Ukraine or anywhere in the world."

She said it was heartwarming to see the outpouring of support at Grand Parade.

Jane MacKay of Dartmouth attended the rally. She said the problems in Ukraine put Canada's recent problems into context.

"I think following what has gone on here in the last month, people need to recognize that our problems are small… so far," she said. "But they're all going to get worse if we don't stand up to this kind of thing."