Hollywood, FL- Anti-war activists gathered along Young Circle in downtown Hollywood Saturday evening to demand “Peace not escalation” in Ukraine.

The 15 activists held a large, hand-painted banner that read, “No war with Russia. Peace in Ukraine,” as others held “Crisis in Ukraine, made in the USA,” and “Honk for peace,” signs.

The rally was met with enthusiastic honks of approval and peace signs from cars and passersby, both. In fact, one woman who passed the large banner shouted from her car, “I am Ukrainian, thank you for doing this!”

After the sign-waving, the group gathered to hear speeches providing context for the events unfolding in Ukraine and clarity for what the anti-war movement should be doing.

“The people of the United States who truly want peace we have to demand it from our own government. Let me be clear: if Mr. Biden wanted to stop the destruction in Ukraine, he could do so right now,” said Conor Munro of local anti-war group, People’s Opposition to War, Imperialism, and Racism (POWIR). “How? Simply by saying there will be no further NATO expansion and removing the sanctions which do nothing but harm people of all nations. That’s why those are the two demands we put on our flyer for this rally – ‘No NATO expansion’ and ‘No sanctions.’ The anti-war movement in the U.S. can’t just rally for peace; we need to explain to people how to get it.”

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