Children ask world to give peace a chance

Children who were victims of violence received the international Peace and Co-operation prizes at the Colegio La Salle in Palma yesterday. The prizes were presented by Cheryl MacGuinness, the widow of one of the American Airlines Boeing 767 planes which was crashed into the Twin Towers on September 11, accompanied by her children Jennifer and Tom MacGuinness. Maria Antonia Munar, the president of the Council of Majorca, was also present. The prizes are awarded in various categories by the non-governmental organisations Peace and Cooperation, and Airline Ambassadors, formed by flight personnel of 12 American airlines. The top prize this year went to Grunula Syed of Pakistan, and awards went to 30 schoolchildren from Norway, Mauritania, Slovakia, Burkina Faso, Peru, India and the Arab Emirates for poetry, projects, essays, posters and drawings. The presentation coincided with the International School Day of Non Violence and Peace, celebrated in Palma with a march through the streets by schoolchildren. The children, who had painted posters and banners for the event, set off from the Plaza Mayor shortly after 10.15am and made their way to Ses Voltes in the Parc de la Mar. Once there, they were entertained with music and pigeons were released, as manifestos for peace were read out. The gathering was attended by the Bishop of Majorca, Mgr Teodoro Ubeda, and members of the Human Rights group who have organised the parade for the past 15 years. Similar parades were held in other towns on the island. The School Day of Non-Violence and Peace was instituted in 1964 by Llorenç Vidal, a Majorcan teacher and poet, and the idea has since spread all over the world. January 30 was chosen for the celebration as it is the anniversary of the death of Mahatma Gandhi.