On what was perhaps Luxembourg’ s first sunny Saturday of the year, many Luxembourg residents enjoyed the terraces of the city, the parks and their gardens. Others however gathered at the Place Clairefontaine in solidarity with the Ukraine.

The event was supported by Luxembourg unions, and various other organisations and it was estimated that 3000 to 4000 people gathered together to listen to speeches. The person everyone wanted to hear from was Nicolas Zharov President of the not for profit organisation LUkraine. After an hour of Luxembourgish speakers he took the mic and reminded demonstrators that while we enjoy the good weather, Ukrainians cannot enjoy even the simplest of moments, he thanked everyone for their support, especially the volunteers who have been working tirelessly to collect humanitarian aid and transporting it to the borders of Poland and Hungary for pick up, and then bringing displaced women and children back to Luxembourg, where many people are opening their homes to take them in. His words to world leaders and the Luxembourg government was clear “Act now, because Putin will not stop”.

He spoke directly to the Russian people, who stood with placards aloft denouncing Putin’s actions in their names, reminding all that In Russia this week, Putin has announced that any Russian donating to Ukraine or speaking out against the Russian Military’s action face massive fines and 15 years in prison. The liberty to demonstrate and exercise freedom of speech in Luxembourg should not be taken for granted and he urged that everyone, regardless of nationality, use their voices to demand action.