On April 1st 2023, Atlas and Support Ukraine held a protest in London UK to pressure countries to Boycott the UN Security Council.
On April 1st, Russia assumed the Presidency of the Security Council, the most powerful body of the United Nations. That's why we protested to push the UK to boycott the UN Security Council & paralyze Russia’s month-long presidency!
Watch Olena Ivashchenko's speech here ⤵️
Watch Colombe Cahen-Salvador's speech here ⤵️
At Atlas, we believe that freedom and rights go beyond borders. We believe that we can unite beyond our national differences. We believe that it should not be just on Ukrainians to stand up to Russia, but on us to stand side by side with them.
We can’t stop Putin from being president. But we can stop him from doing anything: How? We are pressuring democracy-loving countries not to show up: if 7 out of 15 Security Council member states join the boycott, Russia won’t be able to get anything passed.
The UK has previously supported the idea of suspending Russia from the U.N. Human Rights Council. It’s time to go further, it’s time to lead. The UK is one of the permanent members of the UN SC. It has tremendous power, and thus tremendous responsibility. The UK has the chance to stand for freedom, to be on the right side of history.
"Rishi Sunak, we are here calling on you from across the street because you need to do more. Words have power, use yours to show where you stand. Make the UK Boycott the UNSC throughout April. It’s that simple. Don’t fail in this historical duty." said Colombe Cahen-Salvador, Atlas' co-founder
This matters for the whole world. Not only is it the right thing to do to stand by Ukraine, but it sets a precedent. Come November 2023, the People’s Republic of China is set to take on the presidency — which means another country found guilty by the U.N. itself of abuses that might amount to crimes against humanity will be leading it.
"We cannot stand by, it is our collective responsibility to stand up for freedom and democracy." said Andrea Venzon, Atlas' co-founder.
This protest is hosted by Support Ukraine London, and we are joining forces to stand with Ukraine.