With this week marking one-year of the Israel-Hamas war, students and community came together in of Palestine by holding a vigil to honour and mourn the lives lost.
Activist group Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR) hosted the vigil on Oct. 9, as part of their “Week of Rage,” ing National Students for Justice in Palestine’s (SJP) call, along with different campuses to stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine and Lebanon, SPHR stated in an Instagram post.
Approximately 100 community gathered outside Richardson Hall, renamed “Reem’s Hall” by advocates in honour of a three-year-old girl killed in Gaza by an Israeli airstrike, for the vigil.
Despite the rain, the hour-long vigil brought together students and community who shared their personal experiences following the events of the past year. Many spoke about their loved ones who were killed or remain captive in Gaza amidst the ongoing conflict. Speakers led prayers for Palestine and global peace, and the vigil concluded with a poem, followed by a dinner offered to attendees.
The vigil was part of a series of events this week aimed at ing Palestinian students. On Oct. 7, SPHR hosted a table and fundraiser in Mackintosh-Corry Hall. Also on Oct. 7, the group organized a teach-in with Professor Ariel Salzmann discussing the history of Palestinian society, along with an Oct. 8 Al Jazeera documentary screening titled Investigating War Crimes in Gaza. They also held workshops, including “Queer Muslim Resistance X Anti-Colonial QT Collective.”
The week concluded with boothing in the ARC on Oct. 10.
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