Yellow Ribbon activists gave to representatives of the European Parliament letters with stories of resistance in Crimea and called for its support
The civil resistance movement Yellow Ribbon gave representatives of the European Parliament letters from Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar activists and opinion leaders with stories about resistance to the russian occupiers in Crimea. Among the recipients was the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola. Along with the letters, the MEPs were presented tickets for the first future railroad flights to the de-occupied peninsula.
The letters were addressed to 14 European MPs. Among them: Roberta Metsola (President of the European Parliament, Malta), Riho Terras (Estonia), Petras Auštrevičius (Lithuania), Guy Verhofstadt (Belgium), Radoslaw Sikorski (Poland), Viola von Cramon (Germany), Nathalie Loiseau (France), Sandra Kalniete (Latvia), Robert Biedron (Poland), Andrius Kubilius (Lithuania), Sergey Lagodinsky (Germany), Witold Waszczykowski (Poland), Michael Gahler (Germany), Anna Fotyga (Poland).
"The braveness and resistance of the Ukrainian people is an example for all of us. My late father was a member of the French resistance and told me what it was to live under Foreign occupation. He saw his country liberated and enjoyed a free life afterwards, still remembering though the loss of brave fighters and friends. Slava Ukraini", – said in an address to Ukrainians Nathalie Loiseau, representative of France in the European Parliament.
Anonymous representatives of Yellow Ribbon in Crimea, opinion leaders and Crimean Tatar activists joined in on writing letters to MEPs, among them are: First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and Crimean Tatar activist Emine Dzhaparova; permanent representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea Tamila Tasheva; film director, actor, Merited Artist of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and military serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Akhtem Seitablaiev; editor-in-chief of the online publication "Ukrainska Pravda", co-founder of the NGO Crimea SOS Sevgil Musaieva; public activist, sister of Bohdan Ziza, a Crimean Tatar activist illegally imprisoned by the occupiers, Oleksandra Barkova; director and screenwriter of the film Cherkasy Tymur Yashchenko; an anonymous Crimean woman, conductor of evacuation flights of Ukrainian Railways.
"Even after 9 years under the occupation, the resistance movement is strong in Crimea. It lives in Ukrainian songs, which Crimean residents continue to listen to despite the penalties, in political prisoners who did not renounce their Homeland, in unique Crimean nature and traditions. Just recently, a Ukrainian flag was proudly waving in Hrushivka village in Crimea, showing that the peninsula is waiting for Ukraine." – Emine Dzhaparova, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, wrote in her letter.
Along with the letters, Yellow Ribbon representatives handed European MPs tickets for the first trains to Ukrainian Crimea, which they will be able to use after the peninsula is de-occupied and Ukrainian Railways resume passenger traffic.
"Europeans know surprisingly little about the Crimean resistance because russian propaganda in Europe is still active. According to official data, almost 200 people from Crimea are in russian custody. The support of MEPs is extremely important not only for Ukrainians, but also for Crimean Tatars, for whom the peninsula is their only home. The letters that the representatives of our movement handed over to the European parliamentarians in Brussels should become a powerful voice of the Crimean resistance not only for diplomats, but also for ordinary citizens of European countries," – the founders of the Yellow Ribbon say.
Yellow Ribbon is a civil resistance movement that was formed in the territories temporarily occupied by russia in the spring of 2022. So far, more than 7000 activists from Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Mariupol, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Kherson, and other temporarily occupied territories have joined the movement. They provide informational resistance to the occupiers by hanging yellow ribbons, blue and yellow flags and other Ukrainian symbols on the streets, organizing protest flash mobs on social media and collecting information about the occupiers and collaborators.
See the full list of European and Lithuanian MPs who received letters and tickets:
- Roberta Metsola (President of the European Parliament, Malta)
- Riho Terras (Estonia)
- Petras Auštrevičius (Lithuania)
- Guy Verhofstadt (Belgium)
- Radoslaw Sikorski (Poland)
- Viola von Cramon (Germany)
- Nathalie Loiseau (France)
- Sandra Kalniete (Latvia)
- Robert Biedron (Poland)
- Andrius Kubilius (Lithuania)
- Sergey Lagodinsky (Germany)
- Witold Waszczykowski (Poland)
- Michael Gahler (Germany)
- Anna Fotyga (Poland)
