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STAR-ADVERTISER / 2018
Honolulu Hale at 530 S. King St.
COURTESY COUNTY OF MAUI
Maui Mayor Michael Victorino (center) proclaimed today “Ukraine Solidarity Day.”
Honolulu Hale, at Mayor Rick Blangiardi’s request, will be illuminated in the colors of blue and yellow today to express solidarity with the people of Ukraine following the Russian military’s invasion of the sovereign country.
The United Nations General Assembly in a historic vote today also demanded that Russia stop its offensive and immediately withdraw all troops from Ukraine, the Associated Press reported, with both “world powers and tiny island states alike condemning Moscow” for its unprovoked invasion on Feb. 24.
“I have absolute contempt for what is happening to the people of Ukraine,” said Blangiardi in a statement. “It is absolutely horrible what’s going on, and we can only pray for the families and individuals whose lives are being shattered. I desperately hope that somehow, some way, through diplomacy or some other action that this comes to an end quickly.”
This afternoon, the Hawaii Department of Transportation announced that it will light Aloha Tower in yellow and blue, at the direction of Gov. David Ige, to show support for Ukrainians as they continue to defend their country against Russia.
“The lighting of Aloha Tower in the colors of the Ukrainian flag symbolizes Hawaii’s support for the people of Ukraine,” Ige said in a statement. “Russia’s ongoing attack on innocent citizens is unconscionable. The State of Hawaii stands with the people of Ukraine in support of their right to democracy and peace.”
Aloha Tower will be lit in yellow and blue from today through next Tuesday.
On Maui, Mayor Michael Victorino proclaimed today as “Ukraine Solidarity Day” at a gathering this morning at the Kalana O Maui Building in Wailuku, followed by a flag raising ceremony and heartfelt messages of empathy for the Ukrainian people.
“This was an important gathering for our community,” said Victorino in a news release. “Not many people know that Ukrainians came to Hawaii as contract laborers during the early 1900s, so we share that plantation heritage.”
Victorino vowed to keep the Ukrainian flag flying alongside the flags of the U.S. and Hawaii until the war ends.
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