A Montreal City Councillor Keeps Blasting Ukraine's Anthem In Front Of Russia's Consulate
The consulate responded by blasting its own music.
Montreal City Councillor Serge Sasseville standing in front of the Russian consulate holding the flag of Ukraine.
Opposition to the Russian invasion of Ukraine has swept the globe. But on one Montreal street, that opposition has become a neighbourhood affair. Montreal City Councilor Serge Sasseville lives across the street from the Russian consulate on avenue du Musée in Ville-Marie. Since March 15, he has been going out every day at noon to play the Ukrainian national anthem in front of the building.
Serge Sasseville told Radio-Canada's Tout un matin that he had seen protestors gather and leave posters and flags by the consolute since the conflict first began on February 24. Then every night, he said, consulate officials would come out and remove them, even the objects that were on public property.
"It was as if nothing had happened," he said on Tout un matin.
So he decided to make a more recurrent demonstration. He goes out at noon daily to play the Ukrainian anthem three times from his phone and what he described as a small Bose speaker.
Ce matin, j\u2019ai install\u00e9 4 drapeaux de l\u2019Ukraine aux fen\u00eatres de ma maison, qui fait face au Consulat g\u00e9n\u00e9ral de Russie, pour d\u00e9montrer mon soutien \u00e0 l\u2019Ukraine et d\u00e9noncer la guerre de Vladimir Poutine. Je vous invite \u00e0 aussi afficher les couleurs de l\u2019Ukraine #StandWithUkrainepic.twitter.com/qRAVDC43ye— J.Serge Sasseville (il/lui-he/him) (@J.Serge Sasseville (il/lui-he/him)) 1647106657
He had earlier put the flag of Ukraine in his windows and said some neighbours soon followed suit.
Tr\u00e8s tr\u00e8s touch\u00e9. Des citoyen(ne)s m\u2019ont dit avoir \u00e9t\u00e9 inspir\u00e9(e)s par moi et sont venu(e)s en auto faire jouer \u00e0 r\u00e9p\u00e9tition l\u2019hymne national de l\u2019Ukraine devant le Consulat g\u00e9n\u00e9ral de la F\u00e9d\u00e9ration de Russie #SlavaUkraini #StandWithUkraine #StopPutinNOW #StopTheWarpic.twitter.com/KtMgfP1Uzo— J.Serge Sasseville (il/lui-he/him) (@J.Serge Sasseville (il/lui-he/him)) 1647636456
Eventually, the consulate attempted "unsuccessfully," in Sasseville's words, to drown him out by playing its own music from an intercom on its front gate.
Le Consulat g\u00e9n\u00e9ral de Russie a tent\u00e9 sans succ\u00e8s aujourd\u2019hui de perturber mon rituel quotidien en faisant jouer de la musique tr\u00e8s fort dans ce haut parleur alors que je faisais jouer 3 fois avec un Bose l\u2019hymne national ukrainien devant le Consulat.Les pi\u00e9tons m\u2019applaudissaientpic.twitter.com/XQDRNT2bMB— J.Serge Sasseville (il/lui-he/him) (@J.Serge Sasseville (il/lui-he/him)) 1647618160
"Some may wonder whether it is useful to show our support for Ukraine in front of the Consulate General of the Russian Federation on the weekend or when the offices are closed," Sasseville wrote in a Facebook post on March 20. "The answer is: YES."
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