Royal Holloway second year has organised demonstration to show solidarity with ISIS Victims

On Monday afternoon, Royal Holloway students look to show international solidarity with the victims of ISIS “from Paris to Beirut”.

In an event set up on Facebook, RHUL Left Forum’s Ryan Knight hopes to show the university and its students that the victims of recent ISIS attacks weren’t just white and western, but predominantly Muslim and non-white – in an attempt to curb an Islamophobic public backlash due to the atrocities.

The Paris attacks on Friday night shook us all. However, the event urges people to realise that on Thursday Beirut was also struck horrifically with terrorist attacks that left 44 dead and 239 injured; and these victims of ISIS should not be forgotten.

On the event description Ryan wrote: “What is forgotten in times like these is the vast majority of the victims of Islamic terrorist groups are Muslims and attacks like those that happened in France happen all over the Middle East and the world daily, but are often ignored by the Western media as ‘routine’.

“When hate groups pounce on this opportunity to demonise Muslims and Asians, we must stand with those and raise awareness of the truth.”

Ryan

With RHUL being an university with many international students, they hope to raise awareness of both attacks in what they see as a primarily politically active event. The group intends to release a statement from students at Royal Holloway, condemning terrorist attacks around the world, and condemning western military influence since 1945.

The event starts with a minute’s silence at the Windsor Building at 12.00pm, moving on to meeting at the Queen Victoria statue at 12:45pm, and picture taking at 1.30pm.

Fortunately, no Roho students were hurt in the attacks in Paris.

Anne-Laure Cloud-Roussel, President of RHUL French society, spoke to The Tab about the event which she hopes to attend: “With the two terrorist attacks this year, the French nation suffered a lot; Marianne lost many children.

“So yes, pray for Paris, pray for Paris’ strength to stand up despite the grief. But, more broadly, remember that these atrocities happen all around the world. Do not forget the others.

“Let’s stay united, let’s not confuse Muslims and Muslim extremists, and we will go through this standing, hand in hand.”

The event has created a lot of interest in a short amount of time

Ryan said: “everyone, everywhere, should organise against imperialism and racism in our own communities. The only way to fight terrorism is to fight the system which has been feeding this brutality.”

The event should be a huge success, after what started out as a few people organising a demonstration of solidarity quickly turned into a few hundred people looking to show respect for the global victims of ISIS.