Thousands of demonstrators gathered on Dam Square in Amsterdam today. They protested against the war in Ukraine. Among the protesters were many Ukrainian refugees.
Last week the Dam also colored blue with yellow for a solidarity campaign. Today there were again thousands of people. “We will keep going until we make a difference,” said one protester. “We continue to show that it is not possible.”
A Ukrainian woman stands with tears in her eyes. Her voice trembles: “We Ukrainians would never wish anyone else the same as what is happening to us now. It only happens to us, because Russia is our neighbor.” She is holding a sign that reads ‘Peace for Ukraine’. “That’s all we want.”
‘close the sky’
A slogan that is often shouted is ‘close the sky’. The demonstrators are asking NATO to close the airspace. “The Russians don’t think about anything. They bomb cities where there are children and pregnant women.”
“I love the Netherlands, but I want to go home,” says another Ukrainian. “We are now in a nice country, but in our soul it hurts a lot.”