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Antiwar protesters take to the streets around the world in support of Ukraine

People take part in a protest against Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Saturday in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany.
Yann Schreiber
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AFP via Getty Images
People take part in a protest against Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Saturday in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany.

As Russian troops invade Ukraine, antiwar protesters have been gathering around the world to demonstrate against Russian aggression.

Thousands took to the streets on Saturday in major rallies across Europe while protests were reported as far away as Japan, Iran, Australia and the U.S.

A person waves the Ukrainian flag during a demonstration against Russia's invasion of Ukraine in Milan, Italy, on Saturday.
Tiziana Fabi / AFP via Getty Images
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AFP via Getty Images
A person waves the Ukrainian flag during a demonstration against Russia's invasion of Ukraine in Milan, Italy, on Saturday.
Members of the Australian-Ukrainian community carry a Ukrainian flag during a protest against Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Sydney on Saturday.
Steven Saphore / AFP via Getty Images
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AFP via Getty Images
Members of the Australian-Ukrainian community carry a Ukrainian flag during a protest against Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Sydney on Saturday.
Hundreds of people gather for a "Stand With Ukraine" rally in Times Square on Saturday in New York City. Ukrainians, Ukrainian Americans and allies gathered to show support for Ukraine and protest against the Russian invasion.
Alexi J. Rosenfeld / Getty Images
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Getty Images
Hundreds of people gather for a "Stand With Ukraine" rally in Times Square on Saturday in New York City. Ukrainians, Ukrainian Americans and allies gathered to show support for Ukraine and protest against the Russian invasion.

Some of the protests have occurred in Russia, a country not used to outspoken activism. According to OVD-Info, which monitors human rights abuses in Russia, at least 492 people were arrested at antiwar protests Saturday in 34 Russian cities. That brings total arrests to more than 3,000 since protests began Thursday.

Police detain a demonstrator during a protest in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Saturday against Russia's attack on Ukraine. People took to the streets of Moscow and St. Petersburg for the third straight day despite mass arrests.
Dmitri Lovetsky / AP
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AP
Police detain a demonstrator during a protest in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Saturday against Russia's attack on Ukraine. People took to the streets of Moscow and St. Petersburg for the third straight day despite mass arrests.

Elsewhere, many gathered at Russian embassies. In Dublin, demonstrators gathered outside the Russian Embassy for a third consecutive day, RTE reported. Some Irish politicians involved in the protest were calling for Russian Ambassador Yury Filatov to be expelled from the country.

In London, thousands gathered outside the Consular Section of the Russian Embassy in Kensington. Local media reported that some protesters were throwing eggs at the building. At events in Manchester, Newcastle and Bristol, protesters called on Vladimir Putin to withdraw, the Daily Mail reported. Protests also took place outside the prime minister's residence at Downing Street.

Supporters of Ukraine demonstrate outside of Downing Street for a third successive day on Saturday in London.
Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images
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Getty Images
Supporters of Ukraine demonstrate outside of Downing Street for a third successive day on Saturday in London.

In Germany, thousands of people protested Saturday in Munich and other German cities, DW reported. A protest scheduled for Sunday near the Brandenburg Gate is expected to draw 20,000 people.

"Everybody is scared," one protester in Munich's Karlsplatz square told DW. "We had peace for 80 years and all of a sudden, war is back in Europe."

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

People protest against Russia's attack on Ukraine in front of Shinjuku station on Saturday in Tokyo, Japan. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida condemned Russia's attack on Ukraine and stated that it undermines the foundation of the international order.
Yuichi Yamazaki / Getty Images
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Getty Images
People protest against Russia's attack on Ukraine in front of Shinjuku station on Saturday in Tokyo, Japan. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida condemned Russia's attack on Ukraine and stated that it undermines the foundation of the international order.
People participate in a pro-Ukrainian demonstration in front of the White House on Saturday in Washington, D.C.
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Getty Images
People participate in a pro-Ukrainian demonstration in front of the White House on Saturday in Washington, D.C.
Iranians and Ukrainian nationals rally in front of the Ukraine embassy in Tehran on Saturday to show support for Kyiv and protest the Russian invasion.
/ AFP via Getty Images
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AFP via Getty Images
Iranians and Ukrainian nationals rally in front of the Ukraine embassy in Tehran on Saturday to show support for Kyiv and protest the Russian invasion.
Georgians in Tbilisi rally in support of Ukraine and demand that Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili step down after he said he would not introduce sanctions against Russia.
Daro Sulakauri / Getty Images
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Getty Images
Georgians in Tbilisi rally in support of Ukraine and demand that Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili step down after he said he would not introduce sanctions against Russia.

Matthew S. Schwartz is a reporter with NPR's news desk. Before coming to NPR, Schwartz worked as a reporter for Washington, DC, member station WAMU, where he won the national Edward R. Murrow award for feature reporting in large market radio. Previously, Schwartz worked as a technology reporter covering the intricacies of Internet regulation. In a past life, Schwartz was a Washington telecom lawyer. He got his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, and his B.A. from the University of Michigan ("Go Blue!").