“Cancel Russia!” the Hotel Pattee said symbolically Friday when the Russian national flag was removed from the line of flags that front the downtown landmark.
Tom Burkgren of the Perry Economic Development Inc., which currently owns the Hotel Pattee, ordered the Russian flag lowered as a mark of local solidarity with the nation of Ukraine, which is currently enduring Russian military aggression.
Vexillologists know that the Russian national flag, a horizontal tricolour of white, azure and scarlet, has historical roots in the 17th century but in modern times replaced the flag of the former USSR, the communist block that broke up in 1993.
Russia invaded Ukraine Feb. 24, and most western nations have responded by imposing a sweeping range of sanctions aimed at isolating Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday that the economic sanctions were “akin to a declaration of war,” according to Reuters news service.
