Published on Sep 12, 2014
Ukraine isn't the First! Who is Next? On Monday, September 8th, 2014 at 12 noon Polish Gazette Club
Ottawa with EuroMaidan Ottawa, in participation with the
Ukrainian National Federation Ottawa-Gatineau, the Baltic
Federation in Canada and the Central and Eastern European
Council held a Rally on Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Ontario,
Canada. The rally was to raise awareness of the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Russia, and demonstrate that Ukraine is not the first victim of Russian oppression and will not be the last. Also, the following five examples of acts of terrorism were mentioned during the rally: Invasion of Georgia - 2008, Smolensk Crash of Polish Air Force One -2010, Annexation of Crimea and War in Ukraine - 2014, Downing Flight MH17 - 2014. Protesters called on the Government of Canada to provide more bilateral assistance to Ukraine, including decisive sectoral economic sanctions, particularly against the financial, defense and energy sectors; increased political isolation of Mr. Putin; and real military support, including arms, vehicles, surveillance equipment and other support for the Ukrainian armed forces to defend sovereign Ukrainian territory against Russia’s proxy war and recent direct invasion. Honourable David Kilgour, well known human rights activist and
former Parliamentarian said in his speech: “….if Ukraine become
a Nova-Russia and the West collapses, it will not be because of
Russia’s physical strength but because of our mental weakness”. Every day dozens of people are killed in Ukraine. The war has turned into Russia’s open aggression against the nation that half a year ago has chosen independence. Russian aggression in Ukraine is not the Moscow’s first military action in recent years. In 2008, Russian tanks rolled into Georgia trying to overthrow the government and to subdue the whole country. In the end, only a part of the Georgia’s territory was seized. The Kremlin was stopped due to the international action - mainly due to decisive steps of the five Central European leaders brought to Tbilisi by the Polish president Lech Kaczynski. At that time, Moscow realized that in the center of Europe was growing a great power which was able to stop imperial ambitions of the Kremlin. This power was constituted by the agreement of one hundred million people having diverse cultures, respect for their traditions but, above all, of people who were able to join their efforts against the invaders from the East. No wonder that the main proponent of this agreement Polish President Lech Kaczynski was seen as a deadly threat by Moscow. Flying to Smolensk, Russia on April 10th, 2010, president
Kaczynski was drawn into a deadly trap. Along with a hundred
representatives of the Polish state, he wanted to honor the memory of
thousands of Polish POW's murdered in Katyn massacre in 1940. As
a result of Russian plotting, the president and the members of
the delegation accompanying him were almost completely devoid of
security measures necessary during such visits. The research and
investigation carried by the independent scientists have shown
that the aircraft with the Polish delegation on board exploded
just above the ground. The Russians confiscated the black boxes
and the wreckage of the aircraft and so far, even four years
after the incident, Poles cannot reclaim them. The corpses of
our leaders were desecrated and the victims’ families were
intimidated. That brings to our minds the tragedy in which
nearly 300 people were killed aboard Malaysian aircraft attacked
by Russian terrorists operating in Ukraine. Today, we cannot
wait any longer. We have to stop Russian imperialism before the
war spreads the other countries. Russia must be completely
isolated from the world until it ceases the aggression. Ukraine
must be provided with the real financial and military help.
Let’s give them money and weapons so that they will be able to
protect all of us against another global tragedy. |