Oct 15

Oct 15 Remembering Azovstal

Chicago, Demonstrations, Protest, Public Declarations

Member’s of Chicago’s Ukrainian Community staged a somewhat uncharacteristic rally today in the plaza adjacent to the Wrigley Building. Over the last 18 months, the Ukrainians have held rallies every two or so months, attracting hundreds, if not thousands of demonstrators and supporters. Today’s rally saw somewhere between 50 to 75 demonstrators take to the street. I sensed that this was not a rally that was organized by the community’s leadership—I didn’t see any high-ranking officials from the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, Illinois Division present. Nor was the event referenced on the Committee’s website.

The Committee’s last major demonstration was held on August 26. Given one wing of the Republican Party’s opposition to continued aid to Ukraine, I am surprised that the Committee has remained silent. In the wake of Hamas’ brutal attack on Israeli civilians eight days ago, the New York Times published an article carrying the headline, Has Support for Ukraine Peaked? Some Fear So.

When I spoke with one of the organizers today, he acknowledged that the Israel-Hamas War has blown Ukraine-Russian war off the front-page. I told him not to feel bad; it has blown everything off the front, middle, and back pages. He then asked if I could name just one event in the Ukraine-Russian War that had received coverage since the Hamas attack on Israel. I mentioned the successful attack on two Russian vessels located in the Black Sea, thereby increasing my credibility.

Despite the demonstration’s specific focus on the fighters from Azovstal Iron and Steel Plant who are still captive, I had expected to hear one of Ukraine’s staunchest supporters in Congress, Representative Mike Quigley, telling hundreds of people that he would do everything in his power to keep aid flowing. Neither Quigley, nor any other politicians were present today. Nobody said anything about continued U.S. military aid. To be clear, this is not a criticism of Quigley. I suspect that he was unaware of the demonstration.

As for the impetus for today’s demonstration, I would not be surprised if it came from recent Ukrainian émigrés. I tried to question several, but my inability to speak Ukrainian proved to be a barrier.

As noted, the focus was on those taken captive when the Russians finally prevailed after their 80-day siege of the iron and steel plant in Mariupol. Although this demonstration was not sponsored by the Ukrainian Congress Committee, it did have all the hallmarks of associated with that group’s prior efforts. First, and foremost, it was well-organized. It also included visual theatrics. The Ukrainians brought a large black sign that bore the slogan, “Free Mariupol Defenders.” After a speech and some chants, the demonstrators marched the short distance from the Wrigley Building to the center of the DuSable Michigan Avenue Bridge, and then draped the sign from the bridge’s railings.

The visual theatrics were somewhat derailed by the relatively thin paper used for the sign. The demonstrators had trouble unfurling the sign, and once they draped it over the bridge, the sign would not remain flush. The breeze caused it to crinkle, which at times, obscured a part of the message. Even had the sign remained flat, it was too small. As I’ve noted before, for maximum visual impact, scale is critical. In this case, the sign should been large enough so that its bottom touched the bridge’s lower level.

After 10 minutes, the demonstrators rolled up the sign, and then they marched north on Michigan Avenue to Jane Byrne Park, which is the site of Chicago’s historic water tower. In unison, two or three people thanked the Chicago Police Department for its assistance. Before the group dispersed, the man dressed in black holding a color-coordinated bullhorn led the group in singing the Ukrainian National Anthem.

For me, the day’s strongest impression came from a Ukrainian woman who I had seen at other Ukrainian rallies and demonstrations. I must admit, I didn’t read the scrawled message on her until I reviewed my images.

Over the last week, I have listened to many stories from Israelis who survived the Hamas attack, but who have family members or friends who were either killed to taken hostage. At some point, I started changing the channel whenever Anderson Cooper or some other anchor told viewers they were about hear another unfathomable story. Just too gut-wrenching and depressing.

This Ukrainian woman was carrying a sign that was equally gut-wrenching and disturbing, but nobody casually passing by had the opportunity to change the channel. “Return me my husband free from captivity; Return me my life purpose!!!”

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