‘Know us by our Courage — not by our Fear’
Photo Credit Ryan McGoverne
Bréon is passionate about the transformative power of creativity to inspire, bring people together, and to activate positive change.
After a life-changing visit to war-torn Ukraine in September 2022, Bréon established Freedom Advocates.
Ukrainian avant-garde painting ‘The Overthrow of the Autocracy’ by Petro Martyniuk (Late 1920’s' early 30's.)
FREEDOM ADVOCATES has been formed with the objective of building awareness to the ongoing crisis that western democracies face in the 21st Century. Anti-democratic forces have gathered and are gaining in strength. The war in Ukraine is the result of a powerful strategic alliance between totalitarian regimes, who are actively hostile to the principles of democracy.
We must awaken from our slumber and prepare for the battles that are looming — lest we are in danger of repeating the mistakes made in the 1930’s. Failure to defend democracy, only emboldens those tyrannical forces that are determined to undermine the entire world order.
Bréon Rydell, with Ukrainian Liaison Officer, September 2022
In early September 2022, I made my way, via Poland, to Ukraine where I would witness the devastation of this war for myself. Here was a country fighting for its survival and freedom. The plight of these people spoke directly to me and my own experience growing up in the Scottish Borders — a highly contested region between Scotland and England that had suffered conflict for centuries. Without doubt, my visit to Ukraine was to become a life-changing event.
By the end of that tumultuous month, the simmering pot had exploded not just in Ukraine but across the globe. The brave women of Iran had taken to the streets and the ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ Movement had emerged. Their plight has drawn attention more broadly to oppressed women from Tehran to Kabul, as well as what is happening under the other repressive regimes around the world.
