Sheffield’s movement to end the war in Ukraine has continued with the Stop the War Coalition planning a public meeting.
The coalition met for a demonstration on Sunday 6 March outside the Town hall on Pinstone street where a petition was circulated and future events were hinted at.
Former maths lecturer and current secretary of the Sheffield Stop the War coalition, Richard Pitts, said he was planning a public meeting to take place in around two weeks time, but said the protest was addressing an international crisis and that was the main focus of the day.
Mr Pitts said: “Sooner or later there will be a nuclear war and I believe that is terrifying.”
The people in attendance were calling for an end to the current war in Ukraine, as well as neglecting NATO expansion.
People held signs with simple but important anti-war messages as well as banners detailing specific organisations in attendance such as Rotherham TUC.
Greg Challis, a stop the war supporter, said: “It’s about raising awareness of the danger of escalation and to send a message that we want Russian troops out of Ukraine.”
It seems the current situation has had a strong impact on the people of Sheffield with a big presence at the event on Sunday.
Sheffield has been twinned with Donetsk since 1956, a relationship established during the cold war.
There were many similarities between the city, in both industry and also in their anti-nuclear weapons stance.
This strong link seems to have stood the test of time as many people in Sheffield have been searching for ways to help Ukraine in their time of need.
Mr Challis said: “The Ukrainian people are the people that now have to suffer because of this horrible mess.”
Donation schemes have been started up across Sheffield by people independent of the Stop the War Coalition.
The Stop the War coalition aims in the coming weeks to demand basic practical support from refugees and demand the UK government allows access to an increased number of people fleeing the war-torn area.
In the long term, the Stop the War Coalition is asking for an end to excessive spending on arms.
