Russia must be expelled from its Ottawa embassy, the result of a mock referendum held near the building to mock an alleged Kremlin-sponsored referendum on territories occupied by Russian forces in Ukraine.
“For that [le président ukrainien] Kebir Alsim says, depositing his ballot in a ballot box installed on the sidewalk in front of the Russian Embassy that reads “Embassy Attachment.”
The scene was immortal A viral video and was retweeted thousands of times on Twitter. Since Wednesday, a daily demonstration in front of the diplomatic offices of the Russian Federation has had the air of a rigged referendum on the fate of the austere building.
“Would you like to annex the property at 285 Charlotte Street, Ottawa, Canada? Can we read on the ballot, the answers to which are only “yes” in different languages?
Unsurprisingly, the Yes vote was overwhelming during Friday’s vote count. The result shown is 106%. There will be no recount.
An obvious rigged vote
“Our polls are all over the place [le média social] Telegram, all over Russian Telegram. It’s even news in some countries! » Support in interview want One of its organizers is Angela Kalita.
The 36-year-old, whose grandmother immigrated from Ukraine, is part of a small group of protesters who meet every day of the week outside the Russian embassy. Opponents War in Ukraine Meet there at the end of the afternoon, so that their flags and their slogans will be observed by the ambassadors as they leave work.
“It started as a joke,” says Mr.me What about the consular annexation vote? The joke is that this vote will have no impact. Like the referendum vote in Ukraine. »
A newsletter is designed like one Made by Russians in Ukrainian territories, bearing the letterhead of the “People’s Government of the Republic of Sandy Hill”, the district of the federal capital where the embassy is located. He notes that voting can be done multiple times and “results will be adjusted to reflect the desired outcome.”
Last Friday, Russia was formalized Annexation of four occupied Ukrainian territories There he organized a so-called plebiscite in the middle of a war zone. Many countries, including Canada, have condemned the new conflict at a time when Russia is threatening. Use of nuclear weapons.
Tensions with diplomats
Demonstrators met Duty Twenty people gathered outside the Russian embassy in Ottawa on Friday to say they were encouraged by recent progress in Ukraine after months of this Russian-led war of aggression. They recently got into the habit of reading the list of children killed in the conflict published daily by the Ukrainian government.
“It’s always sad to see another incident happen every day, every week. But this attempt to hold a referendum brought us together [les manifestants] “, explains Fred May, a children’s hockey stick in Ukrainian colors in hand.
However, their determination to demonstrate in front of diplomatic blockades led to several clashes with Russian diplomats. The latter, for example, would have called the police to report that their cars had been vandalized.
In August, people driving a car with consular license plates stole a bicycle in Ukrainian colors set up by protesters in front of the Russian embassy. They have drawn a “Z” on the road, a symbol of support for the Russian invasion forces. Protesters claim that the same car was caught on surveillance cameras in the embassy parking lot.
In September, the Russian embassy said a man attacked its building in Ottawa. She published Video from surveillance camera Dated September 12, it shows a man throwing a Molotov cocktail at a building. “He’s obviously not in our little group. We follow the rules and we’re not here to attack anybody,” said Angela Kalida.
However, he describes very different reactions from one diplomat to another: some launch insults or campaigns, others scoff.
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