Team Goemkarponn
CANACONA: In a show of solidarity with the Goan Diaspora living across the Globe/back home in Goa, hundreds of Goans in the UK denounced vicious and hurtful statements against the St. Francis Xavier sought legal action against the divisive forces seeking hard to sow communal tensions.
The Goan UK community held three back-to-back meetings/gatherings at Swindon, Hounslow-Cranford, and Wembley calling for the arrest and prosecution of Subhash Velingkar for the spiteful utterances against the most revered St. Francis Xavier.
The first meeting organized by ‘Goans in UK’ at Broadgreen, Swindon, was also addressed by Swindon Councilor Annabelle Pegado, and other speakers included Chingo Cardozo, Anton, Lino Mendes, Cio Marques, Princia Fernandes, Joao Pires, Tony Fernandes, Santan Souza, Luis D’sa, amongst several other speakers sending strong message that Goans in UK are upset over the present developments in Goa over the attempts to disrupt peace and, divide and destroy Goa’s harmony.
In the meeting held at Hounslow in West London, under the banner of ‘Amcho Goencho Saib’, speakers criticized those using religion as a political tool and diverting public attention from the other burning issues taking place in Goa.
Late Sunday evening, over 250 Goans assembled at Wembley Central Station in Wembley, UK, protesting and denouncing the most vicious and hurtful statement of Subhash Velingkar on the highly revered St.Francis Xavier around the globe.
Goan diaspora demanded the immediate arrest of Subhash Velingkar and prosecuted him in accordance with the law and called on the Goa government to ‘walk the talk’, state government proclaims.
‘Goy konache Goy Amche, Goycaranchem’, ‘Goencho Saib Amcho Saib’ slogans were said, with people expressing their views that no one stop them from calling St. Francis Xavier ‘Goycho Saib’.
Incidentally, a strong police force came in plain clothes (Civilian clothing) and watched the peaceful protest from a distance, informed a source attending the Wembley meet.
The meeting/gathering at Wembley was organized and called by Joyce D’Souza, a practising lawyer in Goa and social Worker/Social Activist in the UK.
Caetano Braganza (Cajie bab) song lyrics writer and artist, Duarte Lopes and Poddi Fernandes, besides Elvis Fernandes (social activist in Wembley), were amongst \several others who addressed the gathering of Goans turning in large numbers.
The meeting began with a prayer invoking blessings of St. Francis Xavier to give the justice, the present situation demands, Hymns were sung on St. Francis Xavier, as many devotedly prayed that no communal tension flareup back home in Goa, and simultaneously sought the Goa Government’s action to arrest and prosecute Subhash Velingkar, not to allow communal disturbance of peace and tranquillity people of Goa living since time immemorable.
