On February 27, Ukrainian activists in Lisbon staged a protest outside the Institute of Social and Political Sciences of the University of Lisbon, coinciding with the conference titled “BRICS expansion: a new factor of change in world geopolitics?”
“Ukrainians in Portugal saw this as an opportunity to voice our stance publicly, denouncing any collaboration with Russia, a country we deem as supporting genocide against Ukrainians,” stated Sadokha, one of the organisers of the protest.
Seizing the presence of journalists, the demonstrators also criticized Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula’s expressed desire to undertake an official visit to Russia.
“For us, as well as for hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians in Brazil, such a visit signifies endorsement of Russian aggression against Ukraine,” emphasized the head of the Union of Ukrainians in Portugal.
This protest occurred following the formal acceptance of five new members—Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Ethiopia—into the BRICS group at the conclusion of December 2023.
