Fiona Govan
IN towns and cities across Spain on Sunday thousands of voices joined together to sing for peace in Ukraine.
More than 800 community choirs gathered in plazas the length and breadth of Spain to sing together in a livestreamed event calling for an end to Russia’s invasion.
Many people were decked out in the yellow and blue colours of the Ukrainian national flag and held up signs calling for peace as they sang out in unison.
In Madrid, hundreds of singers gathered in the square beside the Reina Sofia museum, with similar crowds in the cities of Bilbao, Valladolid and Oviedo.
From Oviedo in Asturias:
In Cacares, Extremadura:
Bilbao in Spain’s Basque Country
In Zaragoza:
Smaller crowds turned out in towns across Spain in an initiative led by Coros por la Paz – Choirs for peace – which began at 10.30am.
“We want to sing a very simple song called Dona Nobis Pacem, which means give us peace, to ask for peace in Ukraine and in all the other forgotten wars,” explained Mariano Garcia, coordinator for Choirs for Peace.
“Choirs have a social function… not only musically but also emotionally. Music is able to make people connect much more,” he told Reuters.
Organisers said a total of 809 choirs joined from 133 municipalities in 44 provinces across Spain, while 160 choirs joined in from neighbouring Portugal.
Demonstrations calling for an end to the war in Ukraine have continued in Spain with huge gatherings over the weekend, including in Barcelona.
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