Nottingham Ukraine Solidarity Campaign (NUSC) met in Nottingham today to protest and march to ask for continued supply of arms from the UK government.
The NUSC met at the Brian Clough Statue at 2 pm today ( Saturday 24 September ) and marched around the city before speakers addressed shoppers in the city centre.
Organisers said:
‘In the past few weeks Ukraine has liberated over 8,000km2 of its own territory from occupying forces.
‘Western states have gradually increased supplies of powerful and sophisticated weapons, and Ukraine’s forces have convincingly demonstrated they can use them”
‘It is vital that our new prime minister continues the support given so far and fulfils the ongoing requests of the Ukrainian government with haste in order that Ukraine can continue to defend itself.
‘We must ensure a Ukrainian victory which includes the removal of all Russian troops from Ukraine and the liberation of all occupied territories including Crimea.
NUSC was formed in the immediate aftermath of the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and has been running regular events since then. Past events include a large 500 person march through Nottingham, a vigil for child victims of war, a die-in protest, a march to protest war crimes in Olenivka and more.
Michael Holod, branch chair of the Nottingham Ukrainian Cultural Centre, said: “Ukraine has shown that the aid is working. The west owes it to Ukraine. They owe it because for the whole of Putin’s reign the west did nothing. It did nothing when he invaded Georgia, nothing when he invaded Afghanistan, nothing when he invaded Syria. Nothing when he invaded Crimea. His tactics are not new.
“Seven months in and Putin has achieved nothing. Everything he set out to achieve has failed and will continue to fail. Just this week he announced a partial mobilisation of 300,000 men, actually there’s a sub clause in there that can take it up to a million. This will just be more men going through the grinder and coming back in body bags, these are acts of a desperate and cornered man. What are these men fighting for? For a pay check? For one man’s dream to bring back the imperial USSR? It is broken, it can never come back.
“At last in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and other places the people are finally seeing what their leader is up to and eventually the Russian people will have to decide to either go to a war they can not win or go out on the streets together and show the bully and the thugs that they would rather die on the streets and make a change. That is their choice, die for nothing or die for a cause that can make a difference.”
Steve Palmer, NUSC organiser, said: “Ukraine didn’t start this war, Ukraine didn’t want this war, but with our help Ukraine can finish this war by liberating all Ukrainian territory, by achieving total victory. This is the only path to an enduring peace. Ukraine is facing genocide by the Russian Imperialist Terrorist state, its very existence is at stake.
“After the horrors of the past we made a promise, ‘Never again’, it’s incumbent on us all to uphold that promise. That’s why we must keep the necessary pressure on our governments to continue to supply the arms required by Ukraine and why we must demonstrate our solidarity with Ukraine. The sacrifices we make in doing this are as to nothing in comparison to the sacrifices being made by the Ukrainian people defending Ukraine, defending Europe.”
Tim Porter, NUSC organiser, said: “Ukraine is fighting a war of defence against Russian aggression to defend not just itself but potentially all of Europe. Ukraine did not even ask to fight this war so it is vital that we support Ukraine in every way it asks.
“While of course we do not wish to see this or any other war dragged out, to not support Ukraine would only lead to the death of even more Ukrainian people and would effectively grant Putin a license to attack and seize any territory he likes. It is Putin who must lay down his arms and stop this war, not anyone else.”
