United Church Rev. Juanita Austin and a small group of supporters braved the Friday morning rain to hold a vigil – Good Friday Gathering for Gaza at the Ross Street Plaza.
Austin, who is also a member of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME), chose that date, March 29, to apply that Easter retrospection to this event.
“Good Friday, the day of Jesus’ crucifixion in the Christian calendar, is a day to reflect on the death of innocence, the failure of justice and the brutality of a world that lusts for power and privilege,” she said in an email.
It also marked 175 days since the war on Gaza began, with the event demonstrating how they are standing in solidarity with the people there who are suffering through the conflict.
The 12 p.m. vigil consisted of a brief reading, followed by a walk to the Trans-Canada Highway with Palestinian flags and homemade signs, with instructions for participants to ensure they were accurate but not anti-Semitic. Their goal to the demonstration was to “bear witness to the death of over 31,000 Palestinians in Gaza, and the intentional starvation of those who have managed to survive thus far.”
This followed a similar fundraising event Austin hosted at the First United Church Hall on Feb. 25, where she had music and keynote speaker Dr. Warren Bell.
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