Communities came together as Greater Manchester sent a united message of love, support and solidarity to Ukraine. In the city centre, Piccadilly became a sea of blue and yellow as Ukrainian flags were waved by the crowd.
A few hundred first gathered by the Queen Victoria statue at Piccadilly Gardens to show support before 2pm this afternoon (February 26). READ MORE: Massive blaze at Stockport self-storage warehouse 'being treated as deliberate ignition' As the demonstration went on, that number swelled to over a thousand, with the crowd spilling out onto both sides of Piccadilly towards Oldham Street.
Ukraine flags were joined by flags from other Eastern European countries - including Poland, Lithuania and Georgia. A large number of people from Hong Kong, with their own experiences of political instability in recent years, also formed part of the crowd in solidarity with Ukraine too.
Songs and chants broke out as the crowd demanded an end to war, while speakers took turns on the microphone to make their voice heard.
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