Shrewsbury comes together for New Zealand vigil
There was a show of strength and solidarity in Shrewsbury when dozens of people came together in harmony at a peace vigil held in memory of those who were killed in the New Zealand terror attacks.
Organiser Amanda Jones, from the Shropshire Supports Refugees group, was delighted with the number of people who turned out on Sunday afternoon at the event held in The Square.
“It was lovely,” said Amanda. “It went really well. There were between 100 and 150 people, which was a lot more than we expected. There was a really nice vibe about it. We had a number of speakers including two Imams, a vicar, two Syrian refugees and a Pagan representative.
“It was a real show of general love and at the end a traditional Call to Peace was given and that was a really lovely way to end it. We had a long roll of paper unfurled in The Square which people were able to write on and many wrote messages of love. Everyone was really friendly and no one was rude about it. We had a police presence but they were lovely and chatty. The refugees that were there said they were filled with confidence and that was the aim of it. The goal was unity, solidarity and comfort and we achieved that. The Muslim community of the town know that we are accepting of everybody. We wanted to show that we support them.”
Amanda has a number of projects in the pipeline over the coming months. “I want to celebrate the diversity of Shrewsbury. We don’t just want to tolerate people, we want to celebrate everyone,” she added.
