Norwich Vigil against hate crimes

Join us in Norwich tonight at the Vigil

On Saturday 20th October 2012, Chapelfield Gardens will be lit by candles as people gather together near the Peace Pillar for a Vigil to remember victims of Hate Crime.

The Pride choir will open the Vigil at 7.30pm, singing from the Bandstand, and there will be speakers from various community groups. The most powerful moments of all will be at 8pm when we share two minutes silence with people gathered in Trafalgar Square and at Vigils across the world.

This is the fourth year that Norwich Pride has organized a Vigil. The first one was in 2009 when Ian Baynham was murdered in a homophobic attack in Trafalgar Square. 10,000 people attended a Vigil there and we showed our support with a Vigil here in Norwich. It’s an event that we invite everyone to attend – it’s not just LGBT people who suffer from Hate Crimes. The organizers of the Trafalgar Square Vigil are 17-24-30, a group formed to remember the victims of the London nailbomb attacks in 1999 that targeted the Black, Asian and Gay communities of Brixton, Brick Lane and Soho.

SAY NO TO HATE

Every year we’ve had speakers from Opening Doors, a local self-advocacy organisation for people with learning difficulties. Their stories of the hate crimes that people with disabilities face are a compelling reminder that if we want to live in a city where everyone can feel safe and proud to be themselves, we all have a responsibility to say No to Hate.