by Avaaz global campaign network
I am writing from the heart of the storm, just metres away from where President Zelensky is meeting with Europe’s top leaders.
Last week — still reeling from what had unfolded in the Oval Office and terrified by the thought that Ukraine and all of Europe might be left to stand alone — someone in the Avaaz team looked up and simply said: “We have to show up.“
So we printed a massive 500m² banner, grabbed train tickets to Brussels and sent an urgent call to our community: Let’s stand with Ukraine.
48 hours later, that giant flag started to unfold in front of the world held by hundreds of hands. Ukrainians started to sing, and without even realising it, we began to smile. Because something was shifting. A pulse of connection and hope. And for a moment, the heartbreak, the rage, the weight of it all, eased. For a minute, we had defeated fear.
The next morning, we woke up to find our message echoing across the world.
The action made the front pages of the New York Times, La Repubblica, The Guardian, Le Monde, El País, Der Spiegel… all carried our call to protect Ukraine and stand up against tyranny.
A reminder, to ourselves and to our leaders, that history is not yet written. And that we, the people across the world united by our care for justice and peace, will never give up.
With love, with fear, with everything in between, and with enormous gratitude for each of you, from Brussels,
Patri, Julian, Harriet, Nick, Patti, Pascal and the entire Avaaz team
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Avaaz is a 70-million-person global campaign network that works to ensure that the views and values of the world’s people shape global decision-making. („Avaaz“ means „voice“ or „song“ in many languages.) Avaaz members live in every nation of the world; our team is spread across 18 countries on 6 continents and operates in 22 languages. Learn about some of Avaaz’s biggest campaigns here, or follow us on Facebook, X, or Instagram.