John Gallagher, the York alumnus killed fighting ISIS in Syria, was mourned by friends and family in Vari Hall this week at a vigil hosted by the Kurdish Students’ Association.
Gallagher’s family and friends remember him as kind, passionate, and caring. The KSA praised him for his political convictions and strong commitment to human rights and social justice.
“We are gathered here today to honour John Gallagher, a York student who gave up his life for his political conviction, which was to fight against ISIS and to fight for social justice and human rights,” says Behzad Mohammadi, KSA vice president.
“He travelled thousands of miles to Kurdistan in Syria, to join the Kurdish forces, to fight for what we all believe. Social justice, freedom, democracy, and a safe place for everyone to live in.”
The KSA expressed their deepest condolences to Gallagher’s family.
“We’re sorry for your loss,” says Mohammadi. “Your loss is our loss too. Words cannot express how sad and how shocked we are of this tragic news.”
Unfortunately, says Mohammadi, we live in a world where religious fundamentalism, which John talked about in his essay, has taken the world toward tragic news. So we’re here to say from Paris to Iraq, to Kurdistan to Syria, we’re condemning them. No matter where it takes place, we condemn these acts of violence.
The mother of Gallagher, Valerie Carder, was in attendance.
“I thought if I ever had to tell this story, I’d be so confused because everything is kind of mashed right now,” says Carder. “He’d talked about it (leaving to fight) for a while.”
“He started a Go Fund Me to try to help fund going. He sold his car and sold everything and that’s how he funded himself. He was very frustrated that not more was being done. I’m very proud of him. Not many people act upon their beliefs.”
“He took action,” says Carder.
Professor Saeed Rahnema, who tried to stop the ex-infantryman from going, spoke at the vigil.
“John believed in a cause,” Rahnema told Excalibur. “He was conscious of the main problems that Canada and the global society is facing.
Ryan Moore, News Editor
