|
Mon, 16 Nov, 2015 12:07:05 AM FTimes- STT-Xinhua Report, Nov 16  Different Finnish religious communities Gathered to Senate Square in Helsinki center for a peaceful demonstration for peace and hope, 15th of Nov. 2015. After That they marched to French Embassy to pay respect for the Victims of Paris terrorist attacks. Photo – Lehtikuva. Hundreds of people from different religions marched in downtown Helsinki on Sunday, mourning the victims of Friday night’s Paris attacks and protesting terrorist activities.
According to police estimates, 350 to 500 people participated in the rally.
The demonstrators gathered in the Senate Square in front of the Helsinki Cathedral, where representatives of different religions condemned the latest hostilities and violence. They also appealed for peace.
The attacks in Paris on Friday shocked the whole Finnish society, one of the organisers told the media.
Representatives of Evangelical Lutheran churches, Sunni and Shiite Muslim communities, the Jewish community, the Orthodox Church as well as the Catholic Church took part in the interfaith march.
Before the march, the representatives of the different faiths took turns to condemn hate and violence, and said their intention was to “wake up the forces of good”.
After that, they marched toward the French embassy in Kaivopuisto. Along the way, more and more people took part in the parade.
Different Finnish religious communities Gathered to Senate Square in Helsinki center for a peaceful demonstration for peace and hope, 15th of Nov. 2015. After That they marched to French Embassy to pay respect for the Victims of Paris terrorist attacks. Photo – Lehtikuva. Representatives of refugees also addressed the crowd gathered before the Helsinki Cathedral saying they deeply regretted the attacks in Paris.
The refugee representatives said they hope that they would not be accused of events which happened in Paris. “We fled the same terror which has happened in Paris,” they reminded the crowd.
“The recent events have been shocking, so I wanted to get involved,” said Tiina Aalto who had arrived at the Helsinki Senate Square with her children.
Aalto referred to the recent attacks in Paris as well as the war in Syria and the refugee crisis.
Aalto said she did not tell her child about the attacks in Paris.
“I only told the children that bad things happen in the world and we are all going together to oppose them,” Aalto said.
Aalto’s husband who hails from Egypt could not make it to the protest due to work commitments. The children are Muslims.
Aalto said she has heard from acquaintances about increased racism in everyday life in the country but herself she has not come across such incidents.
Seated at the stairs of the church with head bowed during the event was a young French woman.
“I cannot talk about this. I am French,” the woman said before she started weeping.
Pekka Yrjänä Hiltunen said he wanted to participate to show solidarity against the “incomprehensible mess”.
By mess, he meant many things like the situation in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan as well as the discrimination of young refugees.
More News
|
|
Finland Times
| Friday, 02 May, 2025 |
|
Copyright © 2025 All rights reserved
|
||||
