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Chicagoans gathered downtown on Sunday to protest a very prominent cause. During a peaceful demonstration, the protesters linked arms to form a large human chain that stretched from Michigan Avenue to Millennium Park. According to WGN9, the protest was in honor of those who lost their lives as a result of the war in Ukraine, and a call to action for U.S officials to declare Russia a state "sponsor of terrorism." Another objective of the protest was for the U.S government to continue to send weapons to Ukraine.
The chain was compromised of hundreds of women and children from Ukraine. Each protestor wore white to symbolize the staggering number of innocent civilians who lost their lives during the war. At the end of July, a group of politicians included in the United States House of Representatives introduced the creation of a bill that would help label Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. WGN9 noted that U.S Secretary of State, Antony Blinken could declare Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism without approval from the congress.
The protest took place just over five months since the war in Ukraine began after the country was invaded on February 24th. According to the United Nations Human Rights Office of The High Commissioner, as of August 8, there have been 5,401 civilians killed and 7,466 injured as a result of the war.