People of Kilkenny urged to support Mayor’s walk for Ukraine

Hundreds of people are expected to take part in the Mayor’s Walk for Ukraine in a show of solidarity this Sunday.
“Let’s send a strong message that Kilkenny stands in solidarity with Ukraine,” said Mayor Andrew McGuinness. “We are here to support our Ukrainian community in Kilkenny and welcome those seeking asylum and we will do our best to raise much needed funds for humanitarian aid.
“We will meet at the Canal Square at 11am,” he added. “The bandstand will be there and we will walk down the Canal Walk, out onto the Bennettsbridge Road, down by the Parade and back to Canal Square via Rose Inn street. There will be live music on the bandstand at the end of the walk.
“We will have donation buckets at Canal Square for the start and end of the walk and I’m encouraging everyone to bring flags or wear Ukrainian colours,” he said.
Meanwhile a minute’s silence was held at Friday’s meeting of the Kilkenny Municipal District as a sign of support to the Ukranian community. At the meeting, Mayor Andrew McGuinness described it as ‘a horrendous situation in Ukraine’.
“We have a number of Ukrainian families living here and we have had a number of refugees who have arrived here. We have hung the Ukranian flag on The Thosel and lit up The Thosel, County Hall and John’s Bridge in a show of solidarity.
“I also want to commend David Fitzgerald for the huge Ukranian flag he has hanging from his building on Patrick Street. These gestures help the Ukrainian community here in Kilkenny and it is important that they know that we are here to support them,” he said.
Councillor John Coonan remarked that it is ‘ghastly carry on that has befallen this people’ and he urged the members of the municipal district to make a financial contribution to support the humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.
“It is unthinkable what is happening there,” he said.
Cllr Eugene McGuinness also said that people needed to show support against ‘the slaughter and barbarity in Ukraine’.
“It is the coming of the antichrist and he is that,” he said referring to Vladimir Putin. “I would ask anyone from any church to pray that he does not succeed,” he added.
Cllr Martin Brett told the meeting that ‘history is repeating itself’.
“What Putin is doing is a mirror image of Hitler. Something has to be done to stop this,” he said.
Cllr Joe Malone also spoke and suggested the Irish soldiers be used on the borders of neighbouring countries to Ukraine to help with the humanitarian crisis.
Mayor McGuinness said that he would organise a donation point at The Thosel for councillors who wanted to contribute and monies would be donated to The Red Cross and UNICEF who both have teams on the ground in Ukraine.