Sri Lanka victims commemorated in Amsterdam

By Janene Pieters on April 24, 2019 - 08:00
Sri Lankan flag projected onto Amsterdam Central Station after Easter Sunday attacks, 23 April 2019
Sri Lankan flag projected onto Amsterdam Central Station after Easter Sunday attacks, 23 April 2019Photo: Gemeente Amsterdam/Twitter

Around 50 people gathered in the center of Amsterdam on Tuesday evening to commemorate the victims killed in attacks in Sri Lanka on Sunday. Speeches were held and flowers were left on Dam Square. The Sri Lankan flag was also projected onto the facade of Amsterdam Central Station, NOS reports.

At least 321 people were killed in eight attacks on churches and hotels in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday. Among the victims were three Dutch: 54-year-old Monique Allen, a 48-year-old womoan, and her 12-year-old daughter. 

The commemoration included a number of people who know Sri Lanka well. They wanted to show support to the Sri Lankans, they said to NOS. Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema gave a speech. "We are not here by the thousands, but we are here with conviction", she said. "So that we together can express our condolences to the Sri Lankan people. Our heart is weeping for what happened in Sri Lanka."

Terrorist organization Islamic State claimed the attacks. The local authorities believe the perpetrators belong to two local radical Islamic groups, with ties to ISIS, according to NOS. 

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