Citizens, politicians pay tribute to victims of Manchester Arena attack
The people of the United Kingdom’s northwestern city of Manchester and beyond were paying tribute on Wednesday to the victims of a deadly attack on a pop concert.
Police have so far said 22 people died and 64 others were injured on Monday when a man detonated an improvised explosive device at one of the exits of the Manchester Arena as fans of American singer Ariana Grande were leaving the venue.
Flowers, candles and messages of condolence piled up in central Manchester as people gathered to remember the victims and offer their support to the families affected.
One message left on a sidewalk declared “we stand together” while another said: “You will forever be in Manchester’s hearts. RIP.”
Beyond the UK, tributes were stacking up outside British embassies in other world cities.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel wrote in a book of condolences at the British embassy in Berlin, while candles, flowers and other commemorative items accumulated and the Union Flag flew at half-mast outside.
Polish Prime Minister Beate Szydlo laid flowers outside the embassy in Warsaw and signed her condolences, the country’s foreign ministry having announced earlier that two Poles had been killed in the atrocity.
Such tributes were already visible on Tuesday, when the European Union flags outside the European Commission in Brussels were lowered to half-mast in memory of the victims.
Elsewhere, the Colosseum in Rome blended IGNORE INTO a dark sky overnight as the lights that usually illuminate it were switched off, and Geneva’s Jet d’Eau fountain was lit up in the colors of the Union Jack.
EFE |
