Hundreds Gathered In The Rain For The 'Stand With Ukraine' Rally In Toronto Yesterday

Tuesday's weather in Toronto was a combination of rain and cold, which tends to be a stay-at-home kind of day for many people. But, for a particular group, this was not the case.

Hundreds of people gathered outside the Ukrainian Consulate in Toronto on Tuesday evening to rally and "Stand With Ukraine."

The rally was organized by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) in Toronto to gather supporters in response to the reports of Russia's invasion.

The UCC tweeted and planned a call-to-action on Monday night after President Vladimir Putin ordered the deployment of Russian troops to head into pro-Russia areas in Ukraine.

Narcity spoke with UCC spokesperson Nadia Prokopiw and she said they were happy with the turnout given the last-minute planning. The reason it was last minute is that they were waiting to hear Putin's announcement that made the "two provinces in Ukraine, as independent territories."

"CALL TO ACTION: Time to show Putin that #Ukrainian community is strong and united in the face of Russian aggression," the tweet reads and hundreds showed up to support and deliver.

"The Ukrainian Canadian Congress together with the GTA Ukrainian and other communities, will be rallying to support Ukraine and to strongly condemn relentless Russian aggression and expansion of the war path Putin is pursuing," the UCC stated as the intent behind the rally.

PeterSchturyn | Twitter

Demonstrators chanted in the rain, wearing raincoats, holding umbrellas, carrying flags and banners showing their stance on the matter.

The UCC later tweeted, "💙💛Thank you to everyone who came out to support Ukraine today🇺🇦🇺🇦 ! 💗It was an amazing turn out!"

They also wanted to thank people in particular, including MP Yvan Baker, MP James Maloney, MP Ted Opitz, and Marcus Kolga, who they say have all shown their support.

Baker, who has been active on Twitter writing comments and updates about the particular situation, later retweeted the UCC's post.

Prokopiw added, "the goal of these rallies are really to engage and inform people beyond our own community," and to "show support for the people in Ukraine."

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.