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Hundreds attend vigil in Dublin for victims of Orlando shooting

A vigil has taken place in Dublin city centre this evening to remember the victims of the we...
Newstalk
Newstalk

19.53 13 Jun 2016


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Hundreds attend vigil in Dubli...

Hundreds attend vigil in Dublin for victims of Orlando shooting

Newstalk
Newstalk

19.53 13 Jun 2016


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A vigil has taken place in Dublin city centre this evening to remember the victims of the weekend's mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Florida.

Omar Mateen killed 49 people and wounded 53 others at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando.

The 29-year-old claimed allegiance to Islamic State in a 911 call.

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President Barack Obama has said the shooter was a 'home-grown extremist'.

A book of condolence has also been opened at Dublin's Mansion House.

Ireland’s three national LGBT organisations today also sent condolences to the loved ones of those who died.

“The gay club, the beating heart of many LGBT+ people’s social lives, is a sanctuary for LGBT people all over the world,” BeLonG To, GLEN and TENI said in a joint statement.

Hundreds of people attended a vigil beside City Hall this evening organised by the three groups.

Organisers read out the names of the shooting victims who have been identified so far:

The LGBTQ choir group Gloria performed Somewhere Over the Rainbow at the vigil.

Brian Sheehan of the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network, GLEN, says Ireland's LGBT community is reeling from shock.

He said LGBT people "are united in being a minority group in society, and when that kind of happens, because you are who you are [...] I think LGBT people, our families, our friends and all Irish people want to express their solidarity."

Meanwhile, thousands of people also gathered in London for a vigil outside The Admiral Duncan pub on Old Compton Street, which was itself the target of a homophobic nailbomb attack in 1999.

They fell silent to remember the victims of America's worst terror attack since 9/11.

Several politicians, including Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, education minister Nicky Morgan, and London mayor Sadiq Khan stood shoulder-to-shoulder to show their support for the LGBT community.


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