Hundreds of Londoners rallied together to show support for the people of Ukraine on Sunday.
The rally was held at Victoria Park and was the second in several weeks to be put together by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC).
"There were young and old, including many students from Ukraine who are now attending Fanshawe College," Ola Nowosad, of the London Chapter of the UCC, said of the crowd. She said that there were also various ethnic groups who came out in support of Ukraine, including members of London's Polish, Lithuanian, and Uyghur communities.
The UCC is used to planning cultural events for the Ukrainian-Canadian community, like dance or food festivals.
"This rally came about because of people saying they need a forum to get together and show their support, their outrage, their emotions about this whole attack," Nowosad said about planning the rally.
"In this case, we've been thrown into a very serious political situation," she added.
Several levels of politicians showed up for the event including London Mayor Ed Holder, a number of city councillors, and London North Centre MP Peter Fragiskatos.
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"It's overwhelming," she said in terms of support she's seen so far from Canadians and people worldwide. "It's heartwarming to know that decent people see this horrific situation for what it is and are outraged by it."
Canada has the third-largest Ukrainian population in the world and many of those people have relatives remaining in their home country.
"The shock of this massive invasion covering most of the country has left everyone reeling," Nowosad said of her own relatives, both in Canada and Ukraine.
She added that for older generations of Ukrainians the Russian invasion brings back terrible memories.
"My mother was taken by the Nazis when she was a teenager and I heard all those stories and, to me, this is like deja vu."
Despite the terrible situation, Nowosad said that seeing strong leadership in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the courage of the Ukrainian people, and the support of friends and strangers still allows her to feel hopeful for the future.
The UCC is accepting donations for humanitarian relief. More information can be found on the Canada-Ukraine Foundation website.
