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In the courtyard of the James M. Hanley Federal Building in downtown Syracuse on Sunday afternoon, around 150 people rallied against Russia’s invasion into Ukraine.

But the group was split. Although both sides were against the war in Ukraine, they disagreed on possible solutions.

Near a grassy hill, protesters held signs supporting sanctions against Russia. Some signs supported increased military support of Ukraine. Facing the protestors, near the intersection of West Washington and South Clinton streets, a second group of protesters approached holding signs which questioned sanctions and criticized NATO expansion.

The demonstration followed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s calls to NATO to issue a no-fly zone around Ukraine. NATO rejected the proposal, believing the action would cause confrontation with Russia.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a pledge Sunday to increase sanctions against Russia, The Guardian reported.

The initial Syracuse demonstration, organized by the Syracuse Peace Council, started at Forman Park. In an email release, the council wrote that the group would call for a ceasefire, an end to NATO expansion and the U.S. and other countries to welcome refugees from the war. The group also wrote they would raise questions on how sanctions impact Russian citizens.

“We are inspired by war resisters and peace activists in both Ukraine and Russia and those taking action against the war in the U.S. and around the world,” Peace Council staff organizer Carol Baum said in the email release.

The group holding signs against the expansion of NATO moved from Forman Park to the Federal Building, chanting as they walked.

“Diplomacy, not war,” the group chanted at one point.

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The group stopped at Plymouth Congregational Church on their way to the Federal Building. In front of the building, the Rev. Eric Jackson led the group in prayer.

“Let us not become numb to what we are witnessing. Let us continue to be disturbed. Disturbed enough to want to speak truth to power,” he said. “Disturbed enough to want to resist all manners of imperialism.”

Jackson said the current situation in Ukraine can happen anywhere in the world.

David Pasinski, a member of Plymouth Congressional Church and St. Lucy’s Church, addressed the split between the group he was speaking to and those who support increased sanctions against Russia.

“We stand with Ukraine,” he said.

Pasinski said, despite differing political ideologies, the crowd of protesters was unified in wanting peace and putting an end to growing militarism. He also asked the crowd to be “concrete” in their support of Ukraine, insisting on financial support.

Around 150 people met at the James M. Hanley Federal Building in downtown Syracuse to rally for peace in Ukraine. Many organizers from the Syracuse Peace Council were in attendance. Wendy Wang | Staff Photographer

Once the group organized by the Syracuse Peace Council reached the Federal Building, they were met by those who supported NATO and military support for Ukraine. The two groups took turns speaking at a microphone.

Ray Wihak, the assistant director of institutional relations at Syracuse Abroad, spoke in favor of more severe sanctions against Russia.

“The Ukrainian-American community stands firmly behind NATO and behind the civilized European Union and their sanctions against Russia,” Wihak said. “Diplomacy did not work, war clearly never works. The only thing that is left to put pressure on Putin and his oligarchs through more severe sanctions, that’s the only answer.”

Diane Swords, the chair of SPC’s Nuclear Free World Committee, advocated the council’s mission to abolish nuclear weapons. Following her statement of the mission, the crowd applauded, and she paused. When she began to speak again, the microphone had cut out, and her voice was less audible.

“We need to be asking questions about how our nation, the U.S. which is one of the main leaders in NATO, is not finding ways to reduce the tensions, but increasing the tensions. One of the things that the Peace Council is very involved with is the effort to abolish nuclear weapons. Now I know they’re going to say…”

The microphone stopped picking up Swords’ voice.

The two groups present at the rally disagreed on how NATO should operate following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Wendy Wang | Staff Photographer

“…that’s a nice idea, right? But there are pieces of legislation in the U.S. that reduce the risk of nuclear war,” Swords said.

Standing near the speaker system, a man had unplugged the speaker from the cord attached to the microphone, and Swords finished her speech without the speaker to her right connected.

Andy Mager, an organizer with the Syracuse Peace Council, criticized NATO expansion while indicating that it doesn’t excuse Putin’s actions.

“Few things are simple in our very broken world,” he said. “We must be clear that this is a vicious power grab by Vladimir Putin, and his cronies in the Russian leadership.”

Mager discussed Russia’s invasion of other countries, including Syria, and established that its attack on Ukraine is not an isolated incident. Aly Wane, another Syracuse Peace Council organizer, spoke about the refugee crisis in Ukraine from his perspective as a Rwandan refugee.

“I remember what it felt like to be in a war zone. That trauma has stayed with me my entire life, and I wouldn’t wish that trauma on anyone. Whatever we need to do, we need to make sure people who are either standing up or fleeing the war zone are taken care of,” Wane said.

“War is the crime,” Wane continued. “It is a collective failure of the global community.”

Pam Reagan, a protester who walked with the group from the park to the Federal Building, said she chose a “No NATO Expansion” sign because she felt it was where she was most educated. She didn’t understand the ideology behind advocating against sanctions, she said.

At the Federal Building, where the opposing groups converged, a protester who advocated for Ukraine to join NATO ripped her sign from its post.

“To Ukrainians, they want whatever we can do (to help). It’s just so hard. I can understand Ukrainians that are here, being against my side. I can understand that,” Reagan said. “I’m certainly going to go home and get on the news and see, ‘Who are these people that question sanctions?’ And again, (research) ‘No NATO expansion,’ and sort of fortify my feelings for carrying that sign.”

Published on March 7, 2022 at 1:48 am

Contact Kyle: [email protected] | @Kyle_Chouinard