NewsWhore
10-20-2011, 04:30 PM
In a rather surprising event in what is generally considered to be a conservative city, students protested against rising violence in the city by offering Hugs for Peace. All along several major streets and avenues in Santiago de los Caballeros, small groups of students were filmed by TV crews and photographed by newspaper reporters holding signs offering Free Hugs.
According to El Nuevo Diario, organizer Yarissa Rodriguez said the idea of offering "a gift of a hug to any person was aimed at sending a message of fraternity, love and friendship to all citizens as an answer to the violence and criminality that has shaken Dominican society." She said that it had not been too hard to convince her friends to join this civic demonstration, and Del Sol Street and San Luis Street were dotted with young people doing their part to reduce the wave of violence. El Caribe reported that 60 students gave out 25,000 hugs.
Group spokesman Wellington Diaz said the initiative was inspired by the testimony of Juan Mann, who cured his depression with hugs and went on to set up the Free Hugs Campaign.
www.freehugscampaign.org/index.php?categoryid=11 (http://www.freehugscampaign.org/index.php?categoryid=11)
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#8)
According to El Nuevo Diario, organizer Yarissa Rodriguez said the idea of offering "a gift of a hug to any person was aimed at sending a message of fraternity, love and friendship to all citizens as an answer to the violence and criminality that has shaken Dominican society." She said that it had not been too hard to convince her friends to join this civic demonstration, and Del Sol Street and San Luis Street were dotted with young people doing their part to reduce the wave of violence. El Caribe reported that 60 students gave out 25,000 hugs.
Group spokesman Wellington Diaz said the initiative was inspired by the testimony of Juan Mann, who cured his depression with hugs and went on to set up the Free Hugs Campaign.
www.freehugscampaign.org/index.php?categoryid=11 (http://www.freehugscampaign.org/index.php?categoryid=11)
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#8)