CHRISTCHURCH: A young boy carrying a placard that reads "We Are United" during a vigil held in memory of the twin mosque massacre victims in Christchurch on Sunday — AFP CHRISTCHURCH, Mar 24 (Agencies): Thousands of people have gathered in the New Zealand city of Christchurch to listen to prayers, songs and speeches at a vigil to remember the 50 people killed in a terrorist attack on two mosques.
One of those watching from a wheelchair was 21-year-old Mustafa Boztas, who was shot in the leg and liver during the March 15 attack at the Al Noor mosque.
Boztas says it was beautiful to see what the community had put together to show they care and that "we are all one."
Officials estimate up to 40,000 people attended the event on a sunny Sunday evening at Hagley Park. It was held on a stage that had been set up for a concert by Canadian singer Bryan Adams that was cancelled after the attacks.
Meanwhile, more than NZ$10.8 million ($7.4 million) in public donations has been received so far to help families of the 50 people killed in New Zealand's mosque shootings, according to a pair of fund-raising websites.
A support fund on New Zealand site GiveaLittle.co.nz had received NZ$8,271,847 from more than 91,000 donors as of Sunday, while LaunchGood.com, a global crowdfunding platform focused on Muslims, had netted NZ$2,546,126 from over 40,000 donors.
The slaughter of 50 people at Friday prayers in two Christchurch mosques on March 15 shocked the normally laid-back country and prompted global horror, heightened by the gunman's cold-blooded livestreaming of the massacre.
© 2024 - All Rights with The Financial Express
