GREENFIELD — With a full year having passed since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Franklin County residents continue to speak up seeking peace.

About 20 people braved the below-freezing temperatures on the Greenfield Common on Saturday, coming on the heels of a rally at U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern’s Northampton office the evening before. Similar vigils, rallies and marches were held worldwide, all calling for a cease-fire in Ukraine.

“Every war ends at some point. Let’s not wait until Ukraine is rubble,” said Anna Gyorgy, communications coordinator for the Traprock Center for Peace and Justice.

One of the biggest concerns echoed by demonstrators is the destruction seen in the rest of the world as a result of the war in Ukraine. Ukraine and Russia are large exporters of wheat and fertilizer, and with Russian being a key player in the global energy market, the war has been accompanied by a sharp hike in energy prices. With the war going on for a full year at this point, global supply chains have been severely damaged.

“This war is exacerbating famine,” Greenfield resident Paki Wieland said. “The ramifications of the war are global; we need people all over the world to stand up and say, ‘This is madness.’”

Gyorgy noted that Traprock is working with other peace groups in the region to teach about the complicated beginnings of the war that involve many global players.

Martin Schotz, a weekly vigil attendee, fears that this war will escalate to include nuclear weapons.

“We absolutely cannot have that,” he said. He held a sign that read “Partners in Survival,” referring to the idea that nuclear war will lead to world destruction.

As tensions simmer about whether China could send weapons to help Russia, Republican lawmakers have criticized the Biden administration for not sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. Although Biden took a trip to Ukraine last week to re-affirm the United States’ commitment, Biden said in a Friday interview that he is ruling out sending F-16s at this time.

Since the war began, the Biden administration and the Congress have directed more than $75 billion in assistance to Ukraine, which includes humanitarian, financial and military support, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a German research institute. While the Democratic Party and some Republicans continue to be interested in sending funds to Ukraine, a vocal faction of Republicans adamantly oppose increasing U.S. funding going toward Ukraine. The demonstrators on the Greenfield Common, however, oppose all war and are instead in favor of peace negotiations.

“We tell kids on the playground to negotiate. We need to tell government leaders to negotiate as well,” Wieland said about her opinion on calling for a cease-fire.

Peace demonstrators said a larger event with a series of speakers is planned on the Greenfield Common for Saturday, March 18, timed in conjunction with a march for peace in Washington D.C.

“It is important to talk in the community about war and peace,” Gyorgy said.

Bella Levavi can be reached at 413-930-4579 or blevavi@recorder.com.

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