The faces of the 43 slain Mexican students were illuminated by candles at a vigil held on Turlington Plaza on Thursday night.
On the plaza, about 15 students gathered around the black-and-white pictures of students who were killed in Iguala, Mexico.
Students for Justice in Palestine and Students for a Democratic Society organized the candlelight vigil for the students. The Raúl Isidro Burgos Rural Teachers College of Ayotzinapa students were first reported missing on Sept. 26.
In September the mayor of Iguala, José Luis Abarca, ordered police to round up the students out of fear that they would protest a speech by his wife. Per Abarca’s request, police then handed the students over to a gang called Guerreros Unidos that shot and burned the bodies, according to The New York Times.
Family members of the victims are still trying to identify the remains, some of which were placed in garbage bags.
Jonathan Waring, the 20-year-old president of the Students for a Democratic Society, said the tragedy hit close to home for the UF organization because the 43 young men were political activists. The students were protesting discriminatory hiring practices of teachers.
“We’re here to honor their memory, and it’s important for us to humanize these victims,” the UF psychology sophomore said.
Waring said the tragedy has not received much media coverage in the U.S.
Farah Khan, the 20-year-old vice president of Students for Justice in Palestine, said students often go missing in Palestine because of protesting their political beliefs.
“As activists, we felt like we had a duty to honor them,” the UF English junior said. “It’s important for us because we are student activists.”
After the last candle was lit, students’ names were listed.
“We stand in solidarity with all political activists who are representing for all they believe in,” said Tesneem Shraiteh, a 20-year-old UF linguistics junior and president of Students for Justice in Palestine.
In response to the massacre, protesters in Mexico set fire to legislature and administrative buildings in Chilpancingo, according to NBC News.
Xochitl Lopez, a Mexican-American student, said looking at the faces of the young victims reminded her of her country. The 19-year-old UF biology and chemistry freshman said she feels Mexico is often forgotten, but while looking at the faces of the missing students, she felt close to them.
“It feels nice to be acknowledged for this cause,” Lopez said.
[A version of this story ran on page 5 on 11/13/2014]
Michelle Zamperlini, an 18-year-old UF exploratory freshman, sits in front of the photos of the 43 protesters who went missing in Ayotzinapa, Mexico on Turlington Plaza Thursday evening. “One of them looks exactly like my cousin,” she says, as she clasps her hands in remembrance of the lives that were lost.
