With cheerful music, loud chants, and banners covered with slogans, people and groups from different countries and ethnicities expressed their plea for human rights in a free, peaceful manner. At 2 p.m. on March 2, 2019, crowds surged into the city center of Milan, Italy, and a demonstration of 200,000 people gathered in the Square Milano Duomo along Corso Venezia. This demonstration was to mobilize the Italian people to unite against all actions that violate and trample human rights, and to protect the rights of refugees and minority groups. Recommended:FOB Spotlight: The Persecution of The Church of Almighty God in China
“Peace, Not Persecution”— A Torchlight Procession for Peace in Italy | Eastern Lightning
In recent years, the number of refugees displaced by war and religious persecution has reached its highest level since World War II, and among them are Christians of The Church of Almighty God (CAG) fleeing persecution in China. The outlook for their asylum applications in foreign countries is bleak, and some are even in danger of being repatriated anytime. This state of affairs has attracted concern from many international human rights organizations and has even been called “an international humanitarian crisis” by western academics. On January 18, 2019, a Torchlight Procession for Peace took place in Rho, Milan in Italy. This procession was jointly organized by the Council of Migrants of the Municipality of Rho, the Mayors of the Pact of North West, and the Association of Voluntary Italian Blood Donors (AVIS). CAG Christians attended the procession together with volunteers from other associations, calling for world peace for the sake of refugees and immigrants as a result of war, their religious beliefs or other reasons.
