Ich bin ein Berliner / Je suis Charlie Hebdo / something something Ukraine

Here’s Auckland’s two tallest buildings lit up in blue and gold to show solidarity with Ukraine. Lots of people are doing the same with their Facebook profiles and the like. Awesome!

Or is it? People are dying, and this kind of naked invasion threatens to erase all the gains Europe fought so hard for over the last 100 years. It’s clearly not enough to protest by programming the LEDs and changing your social media colour scheme.

But maybe some is better than none. Do those lights lead to letters to MPs and Congressmen? Do those lights lead to disinvestment from Russia? Do those light inspire a few people to get on a plane to Kyiv and stand in front of a tank holding a flower?

It’s gonna take all that and more.