Large anti-war protest on Syntagma Square

Thousands of people gathered in Greece’s capital on Tuesday afternoon to protest against the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine and express their solidarity with the Ukrainian people.

The rally on Athens’ Syntagma Square was organized by independent citizens on social media, who invited “the friends of freedom and democracy in our country, of all nationalities, to demonstrate against the barbaric Russian invasion of Ukraine and in favor of the resistance of the Ukrainian people.”

According to information, by 6.30 p.m. the square was already full of people waving Ukrainian flags and holding placards and signs with slogans such as “Stop the war,” “Stop Putin,” and calling for an end to hostilities. The Mayor of Athens, Kostas Bakoyannis, is also in attendance.

A video was shown with a message from Ukrainian MP Kira Rudik who thanked every protestor, described Ukraine as “the shield of Europe” and added that “what hurts her the most is that there will now be a new generation of Ukrainians who will know what war is.”