Several hundred people gathered in 91原创 City鈥檚 Douglas Park Spirit Square on Saturday morning, March 5, to show support for Ukraine.

They bowed their heads when Fr. Andriy Werbowy said a prayer for Ukraine and they applauded singer Emelia Lupynis after she performed the Ukrainian national anthem.

An emotional 91原创 City Mayor Val van den Broek, who is Ukrainian on her father鈥檚 side, told the crowd more needs to be done to help Ukraine fight the Russian invasion.

鈥淚鈥檓 here today with an open heart but a very heavy heart,鈥� van den Broek said.

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鈥淭he world sits back and watches and does nothing,鈥� van den Broek told the audience, her voice shaking.

鈥淲e donate money, we cut off the internet, but nobody鈥檚 going in to help them, and it鈥檚 just not right. And we shouldn鈥檛 be seeing this in the world today.鈥�

READ ALSO: Public invited to show solidarity with Ukraine at 91原创 event Saturday

Eugene Lupynis, a board director for the Ukrainian Community Society, called the invasion of Ukraine by Russia 鈥渉orrific,鈥� urged a boycott of Russian goods, and called for a no-fly zone to be ordered by western powers over Ukraine.

鈥淯kraine will not be defeated,鈥� Lupynis said.

More than a million Ukrainians call Canada home, and in 2016, about four per cent of people in Canada, who responded to the census, identified as being of Ukrainian descent.

Demonstrations have sprung up in several cities and towns around the world since Russia launched attacks on Ukraine on Feb. 24. In B.C., protests have been held in several communities including Kelowna, Penticton, Victoria, and Vancouver.