Vigil for Charlottesville
U.S. violence prompts St. John’s rally
Tuesday night in Bannerman Park, people will come together in a vigil to show solidarity for the people of Charlottesville, Va., and to mourn the death of Heather Heyer, killed in an act of what’s being called right-wing terrorism Saturday.
The idea for a vigil in St. John’s was hatched in a Facebook group chat involving several municipal candidates and activists.
“What I hope is that we have a strong showing of community members there, of course, and I’m hoping that this can be a place where people feel safe to express their concerns,” said Lauren Hayes, one of the organizers of the vigil.
“I plan on having megaphone there, and people can just kind of get up and talk and heal together.”
Over the weekend, Nazis and white supremacists converged on Charlottesville, ostensibly protesting against the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee, a leading general who fought for the south in the American Civil War.
The Nazis clashed with counterprotesters who were denouncing racism.
At one point, a man drove a car into a crowd of left-wing counterprotesters, killing Heyer and sending 19 other people to the hospital. Charges have since been laid.
Hayes said that the events in Charlottesville are relevant to people in Newfoundland and Labrador.
“Hate has no borders, and populism is on the rise all over the world, and it’s important that even in our small corner of Canada, that we show that things like neo-nazism and white supremacy have no place in our community, and they won’t be tolerated here,” she said.
The vigil is listed as running from 7-9 p.m. in Bannerman Park, and Hayes encouraged people to bring signs and candles. She said people will meet near the bandstand.