Huge crowds in Europe, US march in solidarity with Ukraine

Tens of thousands of people have taken to streets of cities across Europe and North America to denounce Russia’s invasion of its neighbour Ukraine.

From Berlin to Prague, and Washington DC, to Saint Petersburg, protesters on Sunday chanted slogans against Russian President Vladimir Putin while others waved banners with slogans like “Putin murderer” or “stop the monster”.

In, Berlin, the capital of Germany, over 100,000 people assembled at the Brandenburg Gate, a short distance from the Russian embassy, carrying signs reading: “Stop the War”, “Putin’s last war” and “We stand with Ukraine”.

While praising Germany’s decision to begin delivering armaments, the 49-year-old said his country “could have helped Ukraine more”.

Ukrainian Valeria Moiseeva was also at the march.

“I hate Russia, I hate all Russians,” the pregnant 35-year-old said, adding that her mother was now sitting in a cellar in Kyiv in fear of bombs.

Al Jazeera’s Dominic Kane, reporting from Berlin, said the high turn-out was a “clear representation of all those people who felt moved to come to this demonstration”.

Demonstrations also took place in other European cities, with several thousand people gathering in Rome’s city centre, answering a call from Italy’s 235,000-strong Ukrainian community to rally. “We are strong but we are alone now. One small country cannot protect the whole world from one bad person” Yvanna Bovik said.

In Prague, some 70,000 people gathered at the central Wenceslas Square, including Roman Novotny, who travelled around 300 kilometres (186 miles) from Uherske Hradiste in the country’s southeast.

“We all have to do our best,” he told media, carrying a banner slamming Putin. “It’s a difficult situation because the madman has nuclear weapons. I think he has cut himself off from the global community, totally.”

In the United States, solidarity marches were held in cities including Washington DC, San Francisco, Detroit, Chicago and Kansas City. Thousands also demonstrated in the Canadian city of Toronto.