Cllr Stephen Cowan marches on Unity Day in 2016
A minute’s silence will be held at this Sunday’s Unity Day to pay tribute to the victims of the recent terror attacks.
H&F Council launched Unity Day last year to bring people together after the EU referendum vote sparked a rise in racist incidents.
Now an annual celebration of our community and its diversity, H&F Council Leader Stephen Cowan said this year’s event will be a show of defiance against the terrorists who seek to divide us.
“The terror attacks are trying to make people turn against each other, but there’s far more of us than them,” said Cllr Cowan.
“We have extra police and extra CCTV on the streets but we can beat them by showing the solidarity that is H&F and London and everything that is good about our country. You have to keep reaffirming your values.
“On Monday, I went to the City Hall vigil and stood with thousands of Londoners. There were people of all different backgrounds standing hand in hand, all of us are united by the fact we are Londoners. That’s the character of our city and our borough.”
The day will begin with a March for Unity at 11am on Sunday 11 June from Shepherds Bush Green to Ravenscourt Park in Hammersmith.
A celebration rally will then be held from 12pm with live performances, speakers, children’s activities, and food from all over the world.
Meanwhile, the flag of the European Union will fly over Hammersmith Town Hall as a display of unity against the rise in hate crime incidents reported in the aftermath of last year's divisive EU referendum.
Unity Day is the finale of the borough’s annual HF ArtsFest which is backed by H&F Council. More than 200 events are taking place between Friday 2 June and Sunday 11 June.
