Veterans against the war in Ukraine
Misha was not the only speaker to point out the implications of sanctions on the innocent people of Russia. Dan Gilman of the Seattle Anti-War Coalition took to the stage to reiterate the suffering caused by the war.

"This war is breeding terrible suffering for the Ukrainian people and hardship for the Russian people," said Gilman. "Hundreds of Ukrainians have been killed, millions [sic] of Russian soldiers have been killed. Countless are wounded, millions are fleeing for their lives, and if we can believe the Western press coming out of Ukraine, hundreds of hospitals have been hit. Outlawed cluster bombs are being used, the economy is being destroyed, and we are all living with the nightmarish threat of nuclear war."

After presenting the protesters with the harsh facts of the war, Gilman offered advice on what Americans can do. "Here we are, 200,000 [sic] miles from the war zone, well, I think we can start with our own country, demanding our government stop its imperial drive to expand NATO and reach an agreement on collective security for Ukraine and Eastern Europe," he said.

"Stop interfering in Ukrainian affairs, reject Ukrainian membership for NATO," Gilman continued. "We can also be in solidarity with the courageous antiwar activists in Ukraine and Russia. In Russia, they are being arrested at the rate of a thousand a day. In Ukraine, resisters have bombed some of Russia's operations.

"Last, we can keep doing what we're doing here: getting into the streets with rallies, marches, and vigils. Let's reach beyond the antiwar peace movement and build mass opposition to this war and US war with NATO."

Protests against US sanctions and NATO
Su Docekal, the speaker from Radical Women and Resist Fascism, spoke of her connection to the war. "My family is from what once was Czechoslovakia, so I'm quite familiar with invasions of little countries, often by various imperial powers," she started.

She explained that US intervention in the war will not be helpful. "Neither Russia nor the US has the interest of ordinary Ukrainians in mind. After the breakup of the Soviet Union, the US was the top dog unquestionably for a long time. But now, with the economic crisis of capitalism here and internationally, you have competing imperialism interests," she explained. "Russia has grown into a massive capitalist and imperialist power, and China is close behind. It's a dangerous place, as they vie with each other for spheres of influence and economic advantage."

Docekal also warned against nationalism, which may only lead to an escalation in a time when the world is on the brink of war. "We demand that Russia pull its troops out. On the other hand, whipping out nationalism is not the answer. Pouring out Russian vodka is ridiculous. Russia is not the enemy. It's the Russian oligarchs, just like the rich here, that oppress neighboring countries, as well as their population, that [are]the enemy."

She ended with an explanation for the event's anti-NATO sentiment. "As other speakers have said, we've got to stand in solidarity with Russian antiwar protesters. They're very brave, and they're up against a lot. A lot of well-meaning people think NATO would be a solution, but it's not. NATO is a complete tool of the US that has built up massive bases and forces to encircle Russia and the countries in its sphere of influence. For people who wonder about this, just look at NATO's role in bombing Yugoslavia in 1994 and again in 1999," Docekal said, referring to Operation Noble Anvil, which led to the deaths of nearly 500 Yugoslav civilians during the summer of 1999.

Support for Russian protestors
Local politicians even took time to speak at Sunday's event. Jason Call, who is running for Congressional District 2, took to the stage. Call reminded the crowd of the innocent people caught up in the war. "Putin's invasion of Ukraine is a war of aggression that has done and will continue to do untold harm to the Ukrainian people. I condemn his actions and those of all imperialists who choose violence over diplomacy and cooperation," he said.

Despite his involvement in US politics, Call made it clear he does not agree with the actions taken by the federal government at this time. "I firmly oppose, however, any US intervention aside from humanitarian aid, which we should be supplying, because it is going to escalate us to nuclear conflict," he said.

Call continued to question the Biden administration's response to Russia, saying that "a no-fly zone is a precursor to armed conflict. What are you going to do? You establish a no-fly zone, Putin breaks it — are you going to shoot down Russian jets? I don't see that as a reasonable pathway."

Like speakers before him, Call also reminded the crowd that most Russian civilians — who will suffer the harshest consequences from sanctions and outright aggression — are not in support of the war. "In Russia, we are seeing protests of the Russian people, which shows that they do not support this war of aggression against Ukraine. For them, it's as if the US made war on Canada, and of course, we all would, I hope, oppose that."

He continued to explain that even Russian soldiers deployed in Ukraine do not support the war they are fighting in. "Yesterday, a video was circulated, a press conference where three Russian soldiers said they were lied to about their military maneuvers by Putin. That they were told Ukraine was under attack by neo-Nazi factions and that they were sent there to protect Ukrainian citizens," Call said.

"When they arrived and realized their [mission] was to be the aggressors, their response was to turn themselves in. They were captured. These Russian soldiers said that many Russian soldiers are opposing these illegal orders and refusing to fight. This is how the war will end, when the Russian people recognize the criminality of their war, and they reject their warmongering leaders.

"But what we must do now is to be here as we are doing, showing moral support for the people in Ukraine who are fighting to protect their home, and to the Russian people who are risking arrest, [and to] soldiers who are likely risking treason [charges] and potential execution."

Call demanded an end to American intervention, including the sanctions on Russia. "What we do not need is to escalate violence, including the violence done by economic sanctions, which always hurt the poor, the working class, and the most vulnerable. I believe standing for peace is the most important thing we can do right now," he said.

Unite to support all immigrants
The most poignant speech of the day came from another politician, Stephanie Gallardo, who is running for Congressional District 9. She started with a story from her grandfather, a city councilmember elected in Chile in 1970, the same year Salvador Allende was elected as the first socialist president in South America. After a US-sponsored coup there in 1973, all politicians with ties to Allende were taken and tortured, including Gallardo's grandfather.

"In war, the people who suffer are our families," Gallardo said. "In light of the ongoing occupation of Ukraine by Russian forces, I'm sharing the details of my family circumstance today, because while the actors and my family circumstances are not identical, the commonalities are obvious."

She referenced the economic impacts of sanctions, stating, "For years leading up to 1973, the United States instituted various economic sanctions on the Chilean government, leaving everyday Chilean people like my family completely destitute."

"As the daughter of a refugee forced to flee his homeland as a result of US intervention, I long for a land I wasn't born on," she continued. "I am bitter that my family was split among two continents without being asked. And that my father couldn't say goodbye to his family in Chile before he passed away from cancer in 2020. It is the small moments, the personal moments, that imperialism can never recover for us. In war, the only winners are corporate profiteers."

Gallardo called on the American people to consider the consequences of US involvement in foreign affairs. "The people of this country have a choice: do we fall deeper into the myth of American idealism, where our military play global police and our elected officials haphazardly direct billions of dollars into imperialist ventures that result in death, doom, and destruction? Or do we take note of our history and move toward peace, recognizing that it is the working class that suffers the consequences and never the oligarchs?"

She finished her speech by bringing up a less talked-about topic when it comes to the treatment of Ukrainian refugees. "As Americans, we must question the blatantly racist treatment of Black- and Brown-skin refugees [which contrasts with] the rightful global outpouring of support for the Ukrainians," she said. "100% Ukrainians deserve safety. Our biggest priority in the coming months should be resettling Ukrainian refugees and providing them with governmental services to aid in their healing. But do we ever stand with Palestine? Do we ever stand with Afghanistan? Do we ever stand with Iran, Pakistan, or Somalia? In what ways are we complicit with creating a global second-class citizenry?"

"We have to ask ourselves these questions," Gallardo said. "Moving forward, we must state loudly and clearly that if we stand with Ukrainian refugees, we stand with all refugees."

All the speakers for the event brought energy and excitement to the crowd, who then marched and chanted along Broadway.