On Wednesday [March 5th] demonstrations took place in London and Edinburgh in support of Ukraine, following recent days in which American foreign policy has seemed to shift drastically against the embattled country. Protestors rallied outside the US embassy in London, and the US consulate in Edinburgh.
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Activists called for stronger actions against Russia, including freezing Russian assets and reducing the UK’s dependence on fossil fuels.
The protest in London was organised by the Ukraine Solidarity Campaign, Vsevit, and youth groups. Starting at 5 p.m., attendees waved Ukrainian flags and held banners with slogans such as: “Stop Trump,” “TrumPutin: What an Ugly and Cowardly Team,” “Traitor, Hater, Would-be Dictator,” and “Trump’s Peace = Plan for Occupation,” among others. The sentiment in was not only one of opposition to Trump and the US administration’s decision to withdraw aid from Ukraine, but also a call to cancel his upcoming state visit to the UK with banners saying “Cancel the state visit”.
In Edinburgh, Scots and Ukrainians also gathered to rally on the steps of the US consulate. At 6 pm on Wednesday, crowds formed at the front steps of the U.S consulate in Edinburgh, protesting President Trump’s decision to withdraw aid from Ukraine, the treatment of President Zelensky in the Oval Office and the ongoing controversy of companies enjoying sanctions loopholes. The protest was coordinated by the Ukraine Solidarity Campaign (USC Scotland) along with the Ukrainian University societies of Glasgow, Dundee and Edinburgh, with speakers from Unison and PCS unions. The rally was strategically scheduled to begin just after the Scottish Parliament began their debate on “Three years of Solidarity with Ukraine,” with an open invitation for MSPs to join the rally afterwards.
The rally in Scotland was supported by both Unison and PCS unions, who reiterated their support to both Ukrainians in the UK and workers in Ukraine who face extremely dangerous and unstable working conditions. The PCS has facilitated cross-country collaboration with Ukrainian trade unions, sending a delegation to Kyiv in November 2024.
Political figures such as Independent MP John McDonnell attended the rally. He said: “Don’t be bullied by Trump. Stand firm for the principles we all believe in: Democracy and freedom”.
Green Party MP Caroline Russell, another political figure attending the English march said: “Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine, and nothing about Europe without Europe”. She emphasised the need for greater unity between Europe, Ukraine, and the UK and the Green Party’s support of Ukrainians. “Europeans must do all we can to support Ukrainian people in the struggle for freedom, self-determination, and just and lasting peace. The Green Party, not just in England and Wales, but across Europe and across the globe, reaffirm our steadfast support for Ukraine”
MP Caroline Rusell giving a speech at London’s Ukraine solidarity rally
In Edinburgh, Scottish Green Ross Greer MSP, who is personally sanctioned by the Kremlin, called upon the UK Government to go further to prevent companies circumventing sanctions on Russia.
Protestors from different countries such as England, Austria, Poland, and Spain were at the protest in London. Cecilia, the President of the Young European Movement, who also gave a speech, said to Politics UK: “Make no mistake: where we go from here will have seismic ramifications. The world is watching, and silence is compliant. We simply cannot afford to stay quiet in the face of such unbridled threats to our world order.”
Cecilia, whose Polish predecessors died at the Polish-Soviet war, explained her personal motivation for protesting: “Polish people have seen the script before. We have seen appeasement towards occupiers and failure to defend us when we are invaded. And we have seen what follows afterwards. Is imperative for all of us to sound alarm bells that go deeper than unprecedented rhetoric”.
“I am not conventionally a protest-goer, this is the second protest I have attended in my entire life. But with what happened and the disgraceful administration meeting in the White House my emotions ran a bit hot, and I don’t think I could help myself from not coming to an event like this,” said Leo G., an Austrian protestor.
Yana Abramova who fled the war, spoke to Politics UK’. “Nobody was prepared for this. So, I decided to join, be supportive, be united, and send the message that we are not tolerating what is happening in these politics. We are trying our best to be heard, noticed, and hopefully, we see better news very soon,” Abramova said.
Nataliia Zuieva, also Ukrainian, said: “The reason I am here is because I am Ukrainian. We are fighting for freedom because the simple truths can be modified just because one president said that it is our fault that the war started”. She believes that fact-checking is important to understand the war and this is why it is important for her to attend this march to “keep speaking about the true story, that Russia invaded Ukraine”. Zuieva finished saying that there should be no negotiation “without us in the table” because “occupation is not peace”.
Edinburgh also saw the backdrop of dozens of Ukrainian flags, and Scottish journalist and writer Jen Stout gave a haunting account of the detention and death of her friend and fellow journalist, Victoria Roshchyna, who died tortured and starved after being captured by the Russian armed forces. Stout spoke fiercely of the need to stand up for Ukraine, adding that the state “should not be punished for the Maiden Revolution.”
Politics UK spoke to a protester and student in Scotland about their reasons for attending the rally. They said, “I wanted to come here to show solidarity with the Ukrainian cause at a crucial time. Nations should be unified in supporting Ukraine’s right to sovereignty. Sadly, today we stand outside the U.S consulate protesting the abandonment from America’s leaders.”
In both Edinburgh and London, despite the sombre mood, the support on the ground was indicative of a strong and united support from the British public, who are making clear their expectation of the US Government to reinstate unwavering support for Ukraine.
Today, YouGov data was released following the protests, stating the UK Government’s continued efforts to secure peace for Ukraine, with the following support granted:
- a £2.26 billion loan from seized Russian assets
- £1.6 billion in air defence missiles pledged to Ukraine last week.
- 10, 000 drones to Ukraine’s Armed Forces
- £3 billion annual military aid
With reporting by Hannah Shedden
