Hands Up Don’t Shoot
28 November 2014
Solidarity Gathering: Bloody Sunday – Ferguson
Members of the Bloody Sunday families will take part in a vigil at Free Derry Wall tomorrow (Saturday 29th November 2014) afternoon in solidarity with the family of Michael Brown, the unarmed black teenager shot dead by a policeman in Ferguson, Missouri, on August 9th last.
The announcement on Tuesday that the police officer who fired the fatal shots is not to face charges sparked angry demonstrations across the US.
The vigil, at 2.30, has been called by the Bloody Sunday March Committee, while includes some of the families of the victims of the Derry massacre.
Said one of the organisers, Kate Nash, yesterday: “The parallels between Ferguson and Derry are obvious – ordinary unarmed people, mainly young men, shot down by the forces of the State as they went about their peaceful business, and their families then abandoned by the law. We want to send our good wishes and solidarity to Michael’s family and the people of Ferguson and let them know that many around the world are thinking of them and speaking up for them.”
“The Bloody Sunday families have been campaigning for 42 years to have the killers of our loved ones brought to justice, and our campaign is unfortunately far from over. We hope and pray that the Brown family do not have so long a struggle before them – or any of the families the others, mostly African Americans, killed by racist police in the US in recent years.”
“We should remember, too, that the slogan on Free Derry Wall was first written up in solidarity with young people fighting against oppression in the US. The connection is there, and we want to put it to practical use at this time.”
“We ask as many Derry people as possible to attend at 2.30. We want to be able to send the Brown family pictures of solidarity from our town to theirs.”
For Further Information contact 07751604523