Saturday, December 16, 2023

John Lennon-Yoko Ono bed-in for peace an inspiration for calls and prayers for peace today


 












In July, I stayed at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal. By chance, I was given a room on the 17th floor, just two doors down from the suite where John Lennon and Yoko Ono held their famous bed-in for peace in 1969 — the same place where they recorded the song Give Peace a Chance. 

It’s impossible to miss the suite when you are on that floor; large murals adorn the hallway leading to the room, and the words “Give peace a chance” are printed in a huge font across the door. 

I mention that experience because, in November, independent Montreal journalist Taylor Noakes wrote an open letter to Mayor Valerie Plante suggesting that city hold a rally for peace in the Middle East. He based his case for holding the rally, in part, on that city’s connection to Lennon and Ono’s bed-in. 

I also mention it because a place like Winnipeg could also be a place for such a rally or service for peace—like they held in Calgary in mid-December. Or any other Canadian city, for that matter, even if it might be a difficult thing to do. 

Read more in my latest column.

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