Vigil for Victims

According to several blogger reports (here and here and here) there was a candle light vigil at the oil academy on Friday that was broken up by the police.

This is a photo I took on Friday afternoon when I walked by the university. There were quite a few people there but it was a peaceful group clearly there to mourn. I stood in off to the side for a bit and at one point was told by a man to move along. I figured it was something cultural--that I was being rude by standing and staring for too long. But in retrospect, perhaps it was an attempt to make sure people did not gather in mass numbers.

Later the vigil became much more of a protest. According to some folks people were shouting "Down with Terrorism! Down with Corruption!"

Next week is the former president's birthday. (For those following, the current president's father.) My friend Sarah tells me it is usually celebrated with large, expensive, grandiose flower displays. In past years flowers have even been used to create a portrait of the former president. Some locals have been questioning whether it is proper to continue with the celebration in the face of the tragedy. It will certainly be interesting to see how the government responds. When I drove by Heydar Aliyev Park this morning it was clear preparations were still underway.

One step the government is taking: closing all Universities to outsiders. We usually play ultimate frisbee at a university on the outskirts of the city but received a call early Saturday morning that non-students were now prohibited from coming on campus. It was a disappointing, but understandable, outcome. I just hope that at some point the campus will reopen because I can't imagine Baku without frisbee.