Hundreds of Victorians formed a human chain around the Quadra Street mosque during afternoon prayers today, a show of solidarity with Muslims in the wake of last week’s mosque shootings in New Zealand.
People have been dropping off flowers at Masjid Al-Iman, at 2218 Quadra St., since the terrorist attack that left 50 people dead at two mosques in Christchurch on March 15.
“We will be doing this as a show of love and solidarity with our Muslim family and to remind everyone that bigotry will not be tolerated,” organizers from the Sikh community said in a statement. “This human shield will be a physical barrier of protection for those feeling persecuted and vulnerable following the horrors in New Zealand last week.”
Organizers asked people to arrive at 12:45 p.m. so the chain could be formed before afternoon prayers began at 1:30 p.m.
People across New Zealand today observed the Muslim call to prayer followed by two minutes of silence.
It comes a day after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced a ban on military-style semi-automatic weapons, the types of weapons used in the attack.
