The night of June 12th transformed from a regular Saturday evening into a terrible nightmare for the visitors of the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. The mass shooting that took place during this notorious evening was a terrorist attack that ended in a horrifically high number of innocent casualties. The last call at the popular gay club in Orlando, with more than three hundred people inside, turned into a scene of horror accompanied by load music and darkness. Fifty people, including the shooter who was shot by police, were killed and fifty three more were wounded.
The attack is the deadliest mass shooting by a single shooter in the history of the US, and the deadliest terrorist attack in the US since 9/11. The attack is the deadliest act against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. The attack is an attack against humanity, against peace, against human rights and against the human race in general, as well as everything our society strives towards. As with any kind of a terrorist act, this attack should be and is condemned worldwide by political figures, foreign leaders, public figures and all citizens. The worst aspect of the attack, as is true with all terrorism, is the brutality in which it tries to extinguish peace, humanity, equality and, above all, the freedom of the world we live and believe in.
However, this act has been recognized for what it is globally and people all around the world have joined together to give their support to the victims and to show that no matter how brutal the attack is, the grounds and the beliefs of a free and democratic society will be preserved and defended. Be it by donating blood in the local community, organising grief counselling for survivors, organising and joining vigils all over the world, etc.
As a way of expressing their support for the victims of the attack, and as a way of standing their ground and voicing their strong belief in the great power of love, tolerance and humanity, people have been sharing various posts promoting peace and human rights, often quoting famous philanthropists and civil rights campaigners. One of these is by Martin Luther King, Jr.: "Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." By coming together with hope, faith, prayers and acts for peace, people all over the world have been proving that equality, peace, humanity and freedom will prevail.
The link to watch the video of thousands of people gathered together in London’s Soho district in order to show support and solidarity with the victims of the attack is available at: http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2016/jun/13/orlando-attack-thousands-attend-soho-vigil-video
(Web Editor: Qi Sun)