Joel Harden
A text message from a Russian soldier to his mother was intercepted earlier this week. The mother was worried that she hadn’t heard from her son and wanted to know where she could send a care package. She asked if he was still out for “military drills”. His response was stark.
“The only thing I want right now is to kill myself,” the soldier confessed. The terrified mother asked where her son was and he replied, “Mama, I’m in Ukraine. There is a real war raging here. I’m afraid. We are bombing all of the cities together, even targeting civilians. We were told that they would welcome us, and they are falling under our armoured vehicles, throwing themselves under the wheels, and not allowing us to pass. They call us fascists. Mama, this is so hard.”
Minutes after sending those last words, her son was killed, fighting a war he didn’t understand – a war he knew was wrong.
This is the inhumanity of a war that is taking lives as I write these words.
This war was started by a maniac determined to fight to the last drop of someone else’s blood.
Vladimir Putin wants us to believe an invasion is necessary for a free Ukraine, that somehow Russian bombs and rifles are tools of liberation. This is the colonial mindset of a politician intent on conquest.
Lest we forget, we have seen such politicians in Canadian history. We’ve seen leaders insist our democracy be established at the expense of others, notably Indigenous peoples.
That’s why Canadians have a unique responsibility to oppose wars of aggression and appeals to bring freedom through the barrel of a gun. We have seen such madness before, and it is our duty to stand steadfast in our opposition.
Here, in Ontario, we are not powerless. We can and must take action.
I’m reminded of “Bomb the World”, a song written by the great Michael Franti, who says, “You can bomb the world to pieces, but you can’t bomb it into peace.”
We must be part of a global peace movement that challenges those who would tear us apart.
So let’s stand with Ukraine and with anyone else condemned by the dehumanization efforts of demagogues. We can and must build a better world.
On March 6, I joined a rally on Parliament Hill to stand with Ukraine and call for peace.
The stories that were shared of death and suffering were gutting. But amidst the horrors of violence, humanity exists. A mom and daughter had put their time and love into making sunflower kits to “grow peace” which they handed out to rally attendees.
And I was also heartened by the group of Russian expats, who were there, speaking out against the violence being perpetrated by the Russian government.
This is a local face of a global peace movement. I ask folks to continue to show up to rallies and marches, because your voice matters, it can make a difference. Nineteen years ago, the world said no to a looming war in Iraq.
Tens of thousands of Canadians took to the streets, and our government refused to send troops. We saved lives then, and we can do that again. It’s time to rally for peace.