Flowers and candles laid in Glasgow’s George Square to remember the victims of Sunday’s nightclub shooting
HUNDREDS OF people attended a vigil in Glasgow last night to pay respects to the victims of the worst mass shooting in recent US history.
Organised by activist LGBT group Free Pride, the vigil attracted more than 600 people, laying flowers and candles on LGBT flags at the foot of the Walter Scott monument.
Forty nine people were shot dead and 53 injured in the Orlando gay nightclub Pulse on Sunday. Gunman Omar Mateen was said to be homophobic. He was shot dead by police during the attack.
A spokesperson for Free Pride told The National: “The vigil was a chance for us to mourn with our community.
“This attack is a reflection of the violence LGBTQ people face daily, not just in the US but across the world, and this violence feels personal for many of us.”
The LGBT flag was flown at half mast from Glasgow City Chambers to mark the tragedy, and the vigil was attended by Glasgow City Council leader Frank McAveety, and Lord Provost Sade Docherty.
Director of the Equality Network charity Tim Hopkins said: “It is impossible for us to imagine the horror of the attack, or the devastation to lives it has and will continue to cause.
“Whatever may emerge about any connection between the killer and organised terrorism, it is clear that a large part of the motive for this attack was homophobic hate.”
MSPs will today [14 June] hold a minute’s silence in Holyrood. Flags were flown at half mast outside the Scottish Parliament on Monday. Ken Macintosh, the parliament’s Presiding Officer, announced the minute’s silence on Twitter using the hashtags #LoveWins and #LoveIsLove, which have been trending worldwide since the attack.
Tomorrow the @ScotParl will fall silent as we come together to remember those who lost their lives in #Orlando. #LoveWins #LoveIsLove
— Ken Macintosh (@KenMacintoshMSP) June 13, 2016
Pictures: CommonSpace
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