Protestors Gather In Duluth To Fight For Peace

DULUTH, Minn. — A month ago, Veterans for Peace was one of the groups among protestors trying to push for peaceful resolution to the standoff between Russia and Ukraine. Now, exactly a month later, they are out there again, but this time, pushing for an end to Russia’s war on Ukraine.

“We’re having a military conflict now in central Europe and the Ukraine people are paying the price with lives,” Bob Kosuth, Democratic Socialists of America and Veterans For Peace said.

Rain, shine, or snow, Veterans for Peace have stood with signs, asking for an end to all war.

And for Bob Kosuth, a Vietnam Veteran, its personal, “I had a lot of time to think about how war works and how people work up to wars and saw so many people coming back from Vietnam really messed up for life,” he said.

And keeping that in mind, dozens of people showed up on Central Entrance in Duluth to push for peace.

“We should support the Ukrainians in their conflict with Russia and we should support the Russian peace protestors. Obviously those are the folks that’s are really putting their neck out,” Phil Anderson, President Of Veterans For Peace said.

With so many structures illuminated in blue and yellow across the nation as well, it is evident that the support for Ukraine is continuing to grow.

“This is a really amazing and kind of unprecedented amount of solidarity across the world. And we are participating in that in Duluth today and we will be doing that in Brule tomorrow,” Anderson said.

March 6th was declared by Governor Tim Walz as “Ukrainian Solidarity Day in the state of Minnesota” to honor the bravery and resilience of the people of Ukraine as they fight to defend their country and their freedom.

To some of the protestors, that is enough justification for their presence on the sidewalk.

“So the experience of war being that close is something that changed my life and I don’t want other people to have that experience, it’s not a good experience, it didn’t help me be a happier person but it helped me be a more committed person and that’s why I’m here,” Kosuth said.

Veterans for Peace will be gathering in Brule Wisconsin to keep protesting on Monday March 7th.