On March 24, Victoria joined worldwide anti-gun protests by staging its own #MarchforOurLives protest.
At 1 p.m, a large group assembled on the lawn of the B.C. Parliament Buildings in response to a spate of recent school shootings in the United States. Many carried signs. One read: “I protested war in Vietnam. Now, I protest war in schools.” Another: “Promote love not guns.”
“I’m here to support gun control. I [have] grandchildren who are students and I think it’s very important that we stand up for this,” said Linda Miller, a retired teacher from Alberta. “We are very lucky in Canada in that we don’t have the same problems that we do south of the boarder but I support the marches everywhere wholeheartedly.”
Two high school students, Nigel from Edmonton and Devon from Victoria, shared a sign that read, “Fear has no place in schools.”
When asked why they were there in protest, Devon said, “Children are being murdered.”
Nigel continued, “If we are in school and feel like we have to watch our backs because we don’t really feel safe. School is meant to be a safe and nurturing environment.”
“I have friends in the United States… they are worried for their lives when they’re just walking to school — a place where they are going to learn and thrive. Now they fear they are going to be killed,” said Devon.
“That’s not the world we should live in.”
anna.james@vicnews.com