Danes of many faiths form human ring around Copenhagen synagogue

AP article carried in The Guardian, Saturday, March 14, 2015

Show of unity inspired by similar events elsewhere in Scandinavia in wake of February shootings in Danish capital

Danish people of Muslim, Jewish and Christian faith form a peace ring around the synagogue in Copenhagen.
Danish people of Muslim, Jewish and Christian faith form a peace ring around the synagogue in Copenhagen. Photograph: Mads Nissen/AP

Hundreds of Muslims, Jews and Christians formed a human ring outside the synagogue in Copenhagen where a Jewish security guard was fatally shot last month.

Organiser Niddal el-Jabr said on Saturday that the idea behind the show of unity was to send a powerful statement that “Jews should be able to have their religion in peace”.

Saturday’s gathering was inspired by similar symbolic events in Scandinavia in recent weeks.

People hold hands in a ring of peace around the Jewish synagogue in Copenhagen to symbolise unity in the fight against terrorism.

People hold hands in a ring of peace around the Jewish synagogue in Copenhagen to symbolise unity in the fight against terrorism. Photograph: SIMON SKIPPER/AFP/Getty Images

On 27 February, Copenhagen’s mayor joined a “ring of peace” on the nearby city hall square. Police then had banned any events outside the synagogue, citing security concerns.

On 15 February, Omar el-Hussein killed Dan Uzan, the synagogue guard, hours after he fatally shot the Danish filmmaker Finn Nørgaard at a free speech event at another location in the city.

Comments are closed.