This morning, a group of activists painted a central London street blue and yellow, the colours of the Ukrainian flag, The protest took place in front of the Russian embassy while onlookers snapped photos of the sight. Four people were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and obstructing the highway.
The protest was staged by the campaign group “Led by Donkeys” to mark the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. Their statement on their Twitter account said: “Ukraine is an independent state and a people with every right to self-determination. The existence of a massive Ukrainian flag outside his embassy in London will serve to remind him of that.”
The campaign group said they created the flag by spreading 340 litres of yellow and blue paint on the road. Cars then picked up the paint on their tyres and spread it down the street. The protestors stressed the paint is “high-standard, non-toxic, solvent-free, eco-friendly, fast-dry edible paint designed for making road art.” Passers-by stopped to watch the protest and take photos.
Activists arrested
Four people – a woman and three men – were taken to a police station in West London where they remain in custody. The Metropolitan Police say they are looking into what happened.
Twitter has been awash with responses. Former BBC America Editor, Jon Sopel wrote: “Peaceful, effective, dramatic and funny protest outside Russian Embassy #SlavaUkraini.”
Some remarks were humourous: “This is FABULOUS, not only has the road outside the Russian Embassy been painted in the colours of the Ukrainian flag but the police have also painted their vans to show solidarity! #SlavaUkraini“
Others were grudging: “okay, so I never thought I would agree with the actions of an organisation such as Led by Donkeys, but there is something quite artistic about what they have done in front of the #Russian embassy.
One pointed out: “To those who claim to be left-wing yet support far-right murdering thief Putin (often with mealy mouthed “I don’t support Putin but..” bullsh*t), it’s worth reflecting that @ByDonkeys would be jailed, tortured and possibly killed if they did this in Russia.”
NATO: no sign of war end
As the first anniversary of the invasion approached, Nato held a summit in Munich. Ahead of it, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said there were no signs Putin was preparing for peace. “What we see is the opposite, he is preparing for more war, for new offensives and new attacks.” Reports over the last few days suggest it has already started ahead of tomorrow’s anniversary with intensified shelling across eastern and southern Ukraine.
The Led by Donkeys protest comes as the Guardian reports 9,700 Ukrainians are still waiting for a visa decision to join a host under the government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme. Many are desperate to escape the conflict as Russia targets residential buildings across the country.
Jagger Biggs from the group UK Aids Ukraine, which was set up to match families with British hosts, said: “We’ve seen countless cases of long delays to applications since the Homes for Ukraine scheme opened. Regrettably, these delays are getting worse as the months go by.” Volunteers helping to match families say they have seen an increase in waits of six months or more, where no news is communicated by the Home Office.
The Russian Embassy’s Twitter account has yet to issue a response to the protest.
