Brother of Dunblane gun victim backs rally

Campaign: Sibling to speak at march in Edinburgh in a show of solidarity calling for tougher US firearm laws

Thousands of people joined a Hands Off Our Parliament demonstration at Holyrood in Edinburgh yesterday in a show of solidarity for devolution and Scottish democracy.

While events were being run throughout the day, the key protest took place when those in attendance formed a human chain around the Holyrood building, warning Westminster against a power grab on Scotland. Picture: SWNS. The brother of a five-year-old girl killed in the Dunblane atrocity 22 years ago will today give his support to campaigners in America in their efforts to bring about new gun control laws.

Jack Crozier, 24, whose sister Emma was killed by gunman Thomas Hamilton on 13 March 1996, will speak at March for Our Lives Edinburgh.

More than 1,000 marchers are expected to gather at the Consulate of the USA in Edinburgh’s Regent Terrace to protest “the lack of action and lack of empathy by those regulating gun laws in America right now”.

The planned rally is one of many taking place around the world, including events in London, Belfast and Dublin, while more than half a million people are expected to march on the White House in Washington DC.

Campaigners will demand tougher gun laws in the wake of the February 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in which 17 people were killed – the same number as in Dunblane where 16 primary one pupils and their teacher died.

Following the Florida incident, families affected by the Dunblane tragedy

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The reaction always seems to be the same, it’s always call for change, thoughts and prayers and then zero action. This time it seems completely different.

JACK CROZIER

recorded a video message of solidarity with pupils and staff at the school, offering their support to a campaign for greater gun control legislation.

Jack, who was two years old in March 1996, said: “The event is incredibly close to my heart and to everyone’s from Dunblane. It’s obviously a cause that we are all so close to, so this is a really good way for us all to show our support.

“There are quite a few of us from Dunblane who are going to be speaking at it. It’s a message of hope – ‘we did it here and you can do it too’.”

He said there was a new sense of optimism after previous US school shootings failed to bring about reform.

He added: “The reaction always seems to be the same, it’s always call for change, thoughts and prayers and then zero action. This time it seems completely different.

“This time it’s the students that are standing up, this time the people who are being directly affected by this – the people that are being attacked in their schools – are standing up and they are saying ‘this is never to happen again’.

“In the past we have always felt horrific after it and dejected that change isn’t going to come. This time we feel that change is definitely going to happen.”

Alison Ross, whose five-year-old sister Joanna was murdered in Dunblane, will also speak at the Edinburgh rally.

Event organiser Jennifer Payne, who is originally from Michigan and now lives in Glasgow, told Radio Scotland: “We wanted to stand together as a common cause and do something to show solidarity with the students of Parkland, and to encourage meaningful gun reform throughout the United States from Scotland.”