March 5, 2022 — Indianapolis

A rally for peace in Ukraine was hosted on Monument Circle in Indianapolis, Indiana at 3pm yesterday. It was a warm day for early March in the Midwest, almost 75 degrees and sunny.

There were many speakers: Mayor Joe Hogsett and representatives from the offices of Todd Young and Andre Carson, a priest from an Orthodox Church, and immigrants from Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, and more. They all had the same message: the people here in the United States stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and are calling for an end to violence.

Flags from all over the world were flying freely.

I arrived at 2:30pm to get an idea of what might happen and saw local law enforcement sweeping the area and local news crews getting interviews with organizers. Some attendees had shown up early with their signs.

Early arrivals sit on Monument Circle holding signs.

Then, around 2:45pm, a trolly rolled up with a wedding party who wanted to have pictures taken in front of the Monument — a common occurrence on any given Saturday. The juxtaposition of such a joyous occasion stood out against the grim reality of war and violence so many had gathered to protest.

A wedding party has their picture taken right before the rally begins.

There were many Ukrainian immigrants that attended the rally, many of whom spoke of friends and family still living in fear in Ukraine. One spoke of a brother who enlisted into the Ukrainian military the day after the invasion. Organizers reminded attendees about efforts to send medical supplies and raise funds. QR codes and URLs were posted and shared in an effort to get rally-goers to donate or sign petitions all to do as much as possible from thousands of miles away.

A rally-goer sings the Ukrainian national anthem as the rally begins.
Speakers ranged from young to old — including this speaker who was nervous at first but mustered up the courage to call for peace.
An attendee holds a sign in memory of a fallen Ukrainian soldier.
There was no shortage of blue and yellow waving in the wind.
A child holds a sign calling for the support of Ukraine.
Mayor Hogsett, the only elected official in attendance, spoke first in calling for peace in Ukraine and supporting all local immigrants.
An Orthodox Christian priest speaks.