Emmeline Pankhurst statue in Manchester dressed in Ukrainian blue and yellow during a solidarity gathering for independence day in August 2026

The bronze Emmeline Pankhurst statue in St Peter's Square, Manchester, is wrapped in the blue and yellow colours of the Ukrainian national flag during a Ukraine solidarity gathering on 24 August 2026, the country's 35th Independence Day. Known as 'Rise up, Women' or 'Our Emmeline', the sculpture by Hazel Reeves was unveiled on 14 December 2018, exactly 100 years after some women first voted in a UK general election, and depicts the Manchester-born suffragette leader standing on a chair with one arm outstretched as if addressing a crowd. Draping the monument in Ukrainian colours creates a striking link between Pankhurst's historic campaign for political rights and the contemporary struggle for Ukrainian sovereignty, freedom, democracy and national self-determination during Russia's continuing full-scale invasion. Flowers left at the base reinforce the image's role as both commemoration and protest. Ukraine marked 35 years of independence on 24 August 2026, dating from its declaration of independence from the Soviet Union on 24 August 1991. The anniversary came as the UK again reaffirmed support for Ukraine's territorial integrity and a just and lasting peace, while Prime Minister Andy Burnham visited Kyiv and joined European leaders in pledging continued backing. The photograph is relevant to searches for Emmeline Pankhurst, suffragettes, women's rights, Manchester history, St Peter's Square, Ukraine Independence Day, Ukrainian flag, blue and yellow, Ukraine solidarity, Stand with Ukraine, Manchester Ukrainians, Ukrainian diaspora, Russia Ukraine war, Russian invasion, democracy, freedom, sovereignty, protest art, political symbolism, public sculpture, civic monuments, women activists, female political pioneers, human rights, European security, anti-war protest, community solidarity and August 2026 current affairs. The image also illustrates how public statues are reused as living civic symbols for modern causes and international support for Ukraine today.