Disabled New Zealanders Hold Vigil for Murdered
Disabled in Japan
The murder of 19 disabled Japanese
people in their beds by a man who thought disabled people
should be killed has left disabled New Zealanders aghast,
and tonight they will hold a vigil for them at
Wellington’s Frank Kitts Park at 5 -6 pm.
“The killer
said it was better if we disabled people disappear, and that
is an obscene, hate filled statement to make about a quarter
of the population” says co-manager of the Disability
Clothesline Wendi Wicks.
“We utterly reject this
statement and uphold the value of all disabled lives, as
spelled out in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities (CRPD)”.
“They are our colleagues,
and their lives matter too. We care what has happened to
them and we will remember those killed or injured in a place
known as the Lilly Garden, 25 miles west of Tokyo
tonight.”
All are welcome to come and add their tribute
at this gathering, co hosted by the Disability Clothesline
and People First New Zealand, Nga Tangata
Tuatahi.
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