Ukraine Supporters Rally Sunday in San Francisco
By Shawn Chitnis
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SAN FRANCISCO, California (KPIX) — Supporters of Ukraine from across the Bay Area met outside the Ferry Building on Sunday calling for the U.S. to do more before Russia invades that Eastern European nation.
“We have friends, actually, who are in Ukraine right now and they were just so happy to hear about the rally that’s going on here,” said Julia Rodgers, a San Mateo resident who was born in the U.S. although her mother is from Ukraine. “We morally support Ukraine, it’s not enough when you are such an influential nation yourself.”
The rally brought about 100 people to San Francisco’s Embarcadero in the afternoon. Organizers of the rally called for the U.S. and its European allies to begin sanctions against Russia immediately.
“We find this absolutely disgusting that the world does not stand up to Putin in the way it should and stop Russian war in Ukraine,” Nick Bilogorskiy, a leader of the local nonprofit Nova Ukraine. “I am angry and I am anxious. I’m worried for my family in Kharkiv and I’m worried for all the families of Ukrainians that will need to evacuate.”
Local experts monitoring the situation say we likely will not see much progress in the short term, as many issues are at play including the U.S. and its relationship with other nations in the west. But defending Ukraine represents a test of democracy on the global stage while — even after a Russian invasion — diplomacy could still help to end a conflict sooner.
“It’s not very correct to stand by and let a smaller country be bullied by a larger country, irrespective of the challenges internally in Ukraine,” said Karthika Sasikumar, a professor of political science at San Jose State University. “We want to give Russians many, many opportunities to de-escalate because nobody wants to get into the worst-case scenario.”
People attending the rally signed letters to members of Congress calling for more action including punishing Russia now before a possible attack. Organizers said more involvement from Americans will be crucial in helping Ukraine.
“I would like to see more Americans stand up and say ‘down with Putin, we support Ukraine, we support peace!’ We cannot let him start a war,” Bilogorskiy said. “I think we need to act as if it is happening and start putting the sanctions and the pressure so that it doesn’t go unanswered.”
While Ukrainian families in the Bay Area wait to see if Russia invades, they remain in constant contact with loved ones in Eastern Europe. They hope the U.S. will take a larger interest in their country’s plight in the days ahead.
“We do worry about not only our friends but everybody in Ukraine being involved in this awful thing that’s happening,” Rogers told KPIX. “It is our duty as Americans to not only look for our own kind but those who are in need of some of our support.”
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