Read vigil opening statement here

Statement read at beginning of vigil / power black-out (March 6, 2008).

We are gathered here today to pay respects to all of the victims of occupation, especially with the escalations that have happened this week.

Over a 48-hour period, over 110 Palestinians were killed by the Israeli army in Gaza this week. Just yesterday, Amnesty International released a report stating that Gaza is in the worst humanitarian condition it has ever been in since the occupation began in 1967. The cycle of violence continued today when a Palestinian killed 8 Israelis in a school in Jerusalem and injured 7 more.

We organized this vigil tonight to bring the community together in mourning, but also to gather to share our desire for peace. Palestinians and Israelis deserve to live in peace, but there cannot be peace without justice.

We turn our power off and light these candles as a symbol of solidarity with those who suffer the consequences of occupation, both Palestinian and Israelis alike. We at Hampshire come together because as an institution in the United States, we are implicated in this tragedy. It is time for us to come together for peace and justice and to show that these lights we display cannot be extinguished.