Published Tuesday 21 June 2016 at 10:26
Community leaders and residents came together at a vigil to honour those killed and wounded in the recent terror attack in Orlando and MP Jo Cox.
Councillor Mohammed Khan, leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council, joined with Ashok Chudasama of the Blackburn with Darwen Interfaith Forum, Travis Peters of Lancashire LGBT, a charity supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and a representative from the hate crime reporting service at Your Support, Your Choice.
The vigil saw those gathered mourn the dead and show solidarity with those affected by hate crime.
It took place on the steps at Blackburn and was followed by short ceremony where candles were lit in remembrance.
At the event Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, Councillor Mohammed Khan OBE addressed the crowd.
He said: “We stand together united in condemning these acts and also to remember our shared British value of tolerance. Live and let live.
“We know that religion, ethnicity, or sexual orientation is never a justification for violence.
“In Blackburn with Darwen we celebrate diversity, choosing to focus on what unites us rather than those things that divide us.”