Human chain
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A human chain is a form of demonstration in which people link their arms as a show of political solidarity.
The number of demonstrators involved in a human chain is often disputed; the organizers of the human chain often report higher numbers than governmental authorities.
Notable human chains, in chronological order, have included:
| Date | Event | Location | Number of participants | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Berkshire, England, United Kingdom | 40,000-80,000 | Protested siting of American nuclear missiles in West Germany. | |
| May 25, 1986 | Hands Across America | Across United States | 5,000,000 | Charitable event to raise money to fight hunger. |
| August 23, 1989 | Baltic Way | Estonia; Latvia; Lithuania | 2,000,000 | Called for independence for Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Was followed by a similar chain on August 23, 1991, with people holding candles. |
| January 21, 1990 | Reunion Day | Lviv–Kiev, Ukrainian SSR (now Ukraine) | 300,000 | Marking the 71st anniversary of the Act Zluky, an agreement unifying the Ukrainian People's Republic and the West Ukrainian National Republic. |
| 1997 | XII World Youth Day, 1997 | Paris | 400,000 | A 36 km ring surrounding Paris facing outwards, symbolically calling for peace. |
| 16 May, 1998 | Jubilee 2000 Human Chain | Birmingham, UK | 70,000 - 100,000 | The first Chain demonstration by Jubilee 2000, a coalition of church and faith groups, overseas development agencies and others at the G8 Summit in Birmingham, UK, to highlight the indebted poverty of many poor countries and the need for the G8, World Bank and IMF to act to remit that debt. The Chain surrounded Birmingham city center including the International Convention Center. |
| September 8, 1999 | Protest against violence in East Timor | Lisbon | over 300,000 | A 20 km ring connecting the United Nations delegation and the embassies of Russia, China, UK, France and the US in Lisbon, calling for the end of violence in East Timor[1]. |
| 2000 | Latin American Jubilee 2000 | Germany | 50,000 | Called for debt forgiveness for developing nations. |
| February 28, 2004 | 228 Hand-in-Hand Rally | Taiwan: from Keelung to Eluanbi (500 kilometers, 300 miles) | over 1,000,000 (over 2,000,000 according to organizers) | Commemoration of the 228 Incident and protest of People's Republic of China missiles aimed at Taiwan. |
| July 25, 2004 | Israeli Chain | Gush Katif (Jewish communities adjacent to the Gaza Strip, Israel), to the Western Wall, Jerusalem (90 kilometers) | 130,000 (according to police); 200,000 (according to organizers) | Opposing Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Disengagement Plan which involves dismantling of Jewish communities and settlements of Gush Katif. |
| May 1, 2006 | Great American Boycott | New York City. (Manhattan, Queens,Brooklyn Bronx) | 12,000 (according to CNN [1]) | Protesting H.R. 4437, a bill in Congress to toughen immigration checks. |
| February 25, 2008 | Gaza Chain | Gaza | 20,000 [2] | Protesting Israeli blockade of Gaza |
A 'human chain' may also refer to people holding on to each other in series to reach precarious spots. A young girl was rescued from a cliff in California via this method.[2]
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