BRIDGES NOT WALLS

Are you disturbed by the nastiness and division of current politics?

Are you upset by the rise of racism?

On Friday January 20th, on the day of the inauguration of the new American president, people will be displaying banners on bridges in London and throughout the UK with varying versions of this message:

We will build

BRIDGES, NOT WALLS, 

to a peaceful and just world 

rid of oppression and hatred

In Bakewell, Derbyshire, my local Quaker meeting is organising a banner drop from the main pedestrian bridge across the Wye, in the centre of Bakewell from 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. There will be no chanting: the banner drop will be peaceful. Everyone is welcome.

Our banner will say:

BUILD BRIDGES NOT WALLS

SPEAK PEACE, NOT HATRED

It will signify that:

We stand together in solidarity, and speak for peace not hatred

We resist the fascism spreading through the world

We will treat everyone equally and with respect

We welcome refugees

Please come and join us if you'd like to. If you live too far away, you can find details of other banner drops here.

n.b. this is not the pedestrian bridge in Bakewell

Isaac Newton:

“We build too many walls and not enough bridges”

Martin Luther King:

“Let’s build bridges, not walls”

Pope Francis:

“We need bridges, not walls”