One week since a deadly shooting rampage at two New Zealand mosques, members of Victoria’s Sikh community formed a protective human chain at Masjid Al-Iman as a show of love and solidarity.
The event was open to the public and started at 12:45 p.m. at 2218 Quadra Street.
A message circulating online before the event said the Sikh community wants to remind everyone that bigotry will not be tolerated.
“This human shield will be a physical barrier of protection for those feeling persecuted and vulnerable following the horrors in New Zealand last week,” the message reads.
A member of Victoria’s Sikh community, Gobinder Singh, called it "a reminder of the strength of the human spirit.”
It wasn't the only human chain taking place. Hundreds of people linked arms in New Zealand’s capital, Wellington, around a mosque there as a symbolic gesture meant to show protection for the Muslims praying inside.
Fifty people were killed in the shootings at two mosques in Christchurch last week.
