For immediate release: 23 February 2022
Declaration [English, Deutsch, Polski, Español, Catalá, Ελληνικά, Italiano, Français]
List of signatures here. For more information: representatives@ukraine-solidarity.eu
“Without the mobilisation of the working people of Ukraine in their millions, the country would never have withstood Vladimir Putin’s criminal invasion one year ago. Now they need solidarity from working people everywhere to help win their country’s definitive liberation.”
With these words, Stéfanie Prezioso, deputy for Ensemble a Gauche in the Swiss Parliament, announced the formation of the global network Elected Left for Ukraine.
Prezioso said that the network will build support for Ukraine’s military and civil resistance among left and progressive elected officials from all levels of government.
One of the first signatories is John McDonnell, British MP for the Labour Party, and a founder member of his country’s Ukraine Solidarity Campaign. He is joined by Argentine MP Juan Carlos Giordano (Labour and Left Front) who recently visited Ukraine with material aid for Ukrainian trade unions, and to learn more from feminist and left groups resisting the Russian invasion. They are joined by more than 50 representatives from Germany, Denmark, Ireland, Switzerland, France, Spain, Italy, the UK, Argentina, Brazil and Peru, elected at municipal, regional and national level, and in the European Parliament.
Søren Søndergaard, deputy for the Red-Green Alliance in the Danish parliament, who joined Prezioso in announcing the initiative, explained that the Elected Left for Ukraine network will mobilise political solidarity and material aid to Ukraine’s trade union, feminist, environmental and human rights organisations.
He said: “The Ukrainian state has of course been overwhelmingly focussed on the military confrontation. But without civil society mobilised to provide protection and care for victims of the aggression and for the millions of displaced persons, people’s living conditions would have been devastated and morale seriously weakened.”
“Specifically, for me as a left-green MP ensuring that the trade unions and other parts of Ukrainian civil society get support and have a strong role in defending the country is an important obligation”, he concluded
Stéfanie Prezioso added that the network would also work to ensure that no unacceptable conditions were imposed on the military and economic aid from Western governments to Ukraine.
She said: “We reject any pressure on the Ukrainian authorities to accept some partition of their country as precondition for peace negotiations. We also reject as the price of aid acceptance of neo-liberal austerity policies and selling off the country’s resources to Western big business.
“Ukraine’s people must be free to decide their own future free of this sort of blackmail.”
Prezioso concluded: “Precisely for these reasons, left parties, social movements and trade unions should develop direct solidarity with their Ukrainian counterparts, and not assume that our governments are doing enough, or have the best interests of Ukraine’s people at heart.”
Elected Left for Ukraine will focus on the following:
- Visits to Ukraine, to meet Ukrainian elected representatives “to convey their information and demands to our countries”.
- Organising visits by Ukrainian civil society representatives “to organise international solidarity with the Ukrainian people on a mass scale”.
- Citizen humanitarian convoys to Ukrainian cities and regions.
- Twinning of regions, cities and enterprises with Ukrainian regions, cities and enterprises.
- Organisation of information campaigns to counter the fake news and propaganda that has distracted parts of the global left and peace movement.
The Elected Left for Ukraine network will be launched at an international media conference in coming weeks.
Secretariat support is provided by the European Network for Solidarity with Ukraine.
For further information: representatives@ukraine-solidarity.eu
Declaration [English, Deutsch, Polski, Español, Catalá, Ελληνικά, Italiano, Français]
List of signatures here. Elected representatives wanting to join the network, please contact: representatives@ukraine-solidarity.eu