Tears and hugs at
STREETS BECOME A SEA OF GREEN AS THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE COME TOGETHER TO MARK ANNIVERSARY OF THE FATAL FIRE
AN ESTIMATED 5,000 people came together to mark the first anniversary of the fatal fire at Grenfell Tower in the way they have every month since it happened – with a silent walk.
Children in buggies and their parents’ arms, older people in wheelchairs and others on scooters joined the thousands on foot.
Progress was slow and halting due to the sheer number of people taking part – a seemingly endless stream of faces and banners moving past. Some wiped away tears as they quietly walked on, others embraced, taking comfort in simply coming together.
Among those walking were the bereaved who lost family and friends in the fire, those who survived and supporters who travelled to join the vigil.
Usama Ghamhi who lost five family members said: “I’m here for my family. It’s lovely to see so many people, white, black, brown, yellow and blue – all different people together here. There’s a lot of who are here.”
Cate Catto who lives locally said: “Everyone is here to pay respect to the people who lost their lives. I think the community sprang up instantly and reminded people about being human, what we needed to do, to be more kind.”
Many were dressed in the pale Grenfell green which was picked in the aftermath of the fire, which claimed the lives of 72 people, as a healing, calming colour and because the name Grenfell, now synonymous with tragedy once meant ‘Green field.’
A sea of green hearts and banners reading “United for Grenfell” and “Justice for Grenfell” were held aloft along with green heartshaped balloons.
Car wing mirrors, babies’ push chairs and dogs are also decked out with green material.
A green heart banner reading “Liverpool” showed support had poured in from across the country.
At 7pm, calls for quiet rang out and those gathered began to fall silent. The Metropolitan Police estimate 5,000 people took part.
Save for the occasional sound of babies crying the walk was totally silent as people reflected on what happened on a night like this a year ago.
Every month on the 14th day the community has led a walk completely in silence.
They were joined by firefighters who line the route.
Red Watch from North Kensington fire station, the first on the scene and their colleagues from Paddington fire station raised more than £50,000 for the Grenfell community when they ran April’s London Marathon.
On Thursday evening, June 14, hundreds of people on the walk stopped to hug and thank the firefighters who lined the route.
One person taking part in the march said: “They looked like they needed a hug, don’t they.”
The crowd applauded the firefighters as the last of the walkers passed them, with one woman saying: “You are the best.”
Lots of people took the opportunity to thank the firefighters for the efforts during the devastating fire at Grenfell Tower
Saskia Boujo put green banners in front of her home “to show a bit of solidarity”.
A teacher at her daughter’s school lost family members in the fire.