THE street on which the Russian consulate sits in Edinburgh should be named after the Ukrainian president.
That’s the demand from Scottish LibDem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton, who has written to the city council.
The MSP wants Melville Street to instead be called Zelenskyy Street, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
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He has written to Edinburgh City Council asking them to make the change “urgently”, saying it would remind everyone visiting the consulate of “Putin’s murderous and destructive invasion of Ukraine”.
Renaming the street after Ukraine’s president would be a “small but meaningful gesture”, Cole-Hamilton insisted.
In a letter to Edinburgh City Council leader, Adam McVey, the LibDem leader writes: “We must seek to shame Putin at every possible opportunity.
I have today written to @adamrmcvey as leader of the city, asking that the council follow capitals in other free democracies and change the name of Melville St, where the Russian consulate is based, to Zelensky St.
— Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP🔶🇺🇦 (@agcolehamilton) March 9, 2022
A small act but an important one.#StandWithUkriane 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/PPsHTKQrUO
“As such, everyone visiting or writing to the consulate should be reminded of Putin’s murderous and destructive invasion of Ukraine.”
Renaming the street “mirrors the kind of protest that was used against South African embassies during Apartheid,” Cole-Hamilton added.
He also insisted it would highlight the “proud tradition of solidarity shown by Scots to oppressed and persecuted people the world over”.
Cole-Hamilton writes: “Our city has responded with horror and compassion to the images coming out of Ukraine. The offers to house those fleeing the horror of war in capital homes has been truly inspiring.
“This would be a further beacon of solidarity for the people of Ukraine.”
The consulate in Melville Street has been the focal point for several protests following the Russian invasion of Ukraine two weeks ago.
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