The Imagine Peace Tower, an artwork by Yoko Ono on Viðey island off the coast of Reykjavík, will be lit tonight, earlier than usual, in memory of the at least 408 children killed in the conflict at Gaza in recent weeks.
“As all of us are devastated by the loss of so many lives of innocent children in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, I will be lighting Imagine peace tower on, Thursday 7th August, hoping that the ceasefire will continue indefinitely, and no more innocent children will be harmed,” said Ono on her Facebook page.
The city of Reykjavík, the organization Iceland-Palestine and UNICEF Iceland have organized a schedule for the event, in remembrance of the hundreds of child victims.
Transportation to the island is available at the Skarfabakki pier beginning at 6:30 pm, and the fee is ISK 1,100 (USD 10, EUR 7). Scheduled events begin at 7:30 pm and the lighting ceremony itself will take place at 8:30 pm. The lighting of the tower will be broadcast live at imaginepeacetower.com.
The tower, a column of light projected from a stone monument, was erected by Ono in 2007 as a memorial to her late husband John Lennon. The tower is traditionally lit on Lennon’s birthday, October 9, and not turned off again until the day he died, December 8. The tower is also lit on special occasions.
Meanwhile, women in Ísafjörður, the largest town in the West Fjords, organized a demonstration in the memory of fallen Gaza children in the town square yesterday. Participants hung children’s clothes on a line, one article of clothing for each child killed.
Jóna Benediktsdóttir, assistant principal at the local elementary school, and one of the organizers of the demonstration, said that the number of dead children in Gaza now exceeds that of those enrolled in the school. “It’s horrible to be human and see this happening and not being able to do anything,” said Jóna to visir.is.
