The University of Lincoln held a vigil at midday today in honour of the three people who died, and three people who were injured in the attacks this week in Nottingham.
Of those who died, two were students at the University of Nottingham.
“We welcome members of the University community to pause for a moment of reflection and show solidarity, strength and send and best wishes to anyone affected by the devastating events in Nottingham.” A statement, issued by the University read.
Mr Stefan Prest, from the Universities’ international office, attended the event said: “I think obviously it’s a horrific incident, a very sad incident, and I think that anyone across the UK or across the world would be quite upset.”
“We work here in academia, and university is a time to meet new people and explore with new skills and being stopped in your tracks…” he said.
“Just doing normal things,” Lou Viner, also from the international office, added, “coming home from a night out, and in a city that’s now your own but one you’ve been welcomed in.”
Helen Townsend gave a speech following a minute’s silence:
“The parents of the Nottingham University students who were killed, Grace and Barnaby, have called on us all to respond to this devastating event by showing our care and our love for each other.
In their grief and sorrow, they know that the answer to suffering is always love. Love is not so much a feeling, though feelings are significant, but it is a commitment, which is unwavering when faced with violence.
It’s a commitment to stand by our friends and family, and also to reach out to those around us, even those we don’t know, because they too are our brothers and sisters.”
The event was organized by the University of Lincoln’s Multi-Faith Chaplaincy team, with Chaplains from the Catholic, Hindu, and Unitarian faiths all being present at the event, alongside representatives from the Lincoln Students Union.
The chaplains were “grateful” to see how many people had come, with Miss Townsend saying:
“I think that the parents of the students who died made very powerful speeches about the value of care and love of other people. We would do well to take note of what they said.”