Parkland student holds six minutes of silence for slain classmates

A student survivor of the Parkland, Fla., high school shooting last month held several minutes of silence Saturday at the “March for Our Lives” rally in Washington, D.C., to honor the 17 students and faculty killed in the shooting.

Taking the stage mid-afternoon after several other Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School survivors spoke, Emma González remained silent for six minutes before explaining it was the approximate time it took for the Parkland gunman to complete his rampage and flee the school.

“Six minutes and about 20 seconds,” González said in an emotional speech. “In a little over six minutes, 17 of our friends were taken from us, 15 were injured, and everyone, absolutely everyone in the Douglas community was forever altered.”

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“Fight for your lives, before it’s someone else’s job,” she added.

During her speech, assembled students and others protesting gun violence could be heard chanting slogans such as “Never again” while others voiced their support for González.

The march in D.C. and in cities around the world were organized by students calling for gun control and other measures in response to the Parkland shooting.

Hundreds of thousands of people were expected to attend the D.C. rally, while images showed thousands more gathering at similar events across the country.