Protest in Toledo to call for end to Ukraine violence

2/22/2014

Protesters at a rally in Toledo today will call for a permanent resolution to Ukraine's recent violence.

The noon rally is to take place at the James M. Ashley and Thomas W. L. Ashley U.S. Courthouse, 1716 Spielbusch Ave.

The event is one of several protests planned in cities across Ohio. The protests are organized by those opposed to Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, his party, and the deadly response to civil unrest this week in Kiev, Ukraine’s capital.

Participants in the local protest will call for Ukraine to sever ties with and be independent from Russia.

Rob Schaller of Columbus plans to attend the Toledo event with his wife, Natalya Schaller, who came to the United States from Ukraine about a decade ago and who helped organize the Ohio events.

“We decided that we couldn’t just sit and watch this happen on TV, that we have a moral obligation ... to stand up and not let that go by without making people aware of what’s going on,” Mr. Schaller said.

The public is invited to join the Toledo protest, which he said will be a peaceful event in which participants hold signs and distribute information. Other rallies are scheduled today in cities including Columbus and Cincinnati, he said.