“We are far more united and have far more in common than that which divides us”. Jo Cox

Jo Cox

Today, 22 June, Jo Cox would have turned 42. Our gift to her, her family and all those who loved and cherished her, will be to come together to show the world there is more that unites us than divides us.

Events will be held in several locations simultaneously, including Batley and Spen in Yorkshire, London, Brussels, New York, Washington DC, and Nairobi. The coming together of thousands of people in love and solidarity with Jo proves the strength of her ideas and values.

Here in Oslo, SPACE (Syrian Peace Action Centre) in collaboration with the Nobel Peace Center are  holding an event outside the Nobel Peace Center, at 16:00 to celebrate Jo’s warmth, love, energy, passion, flair, Yorkshire heritage and belief in the humanity of every person in every place, from Batley and Spen to Aleppo and Daraya.

This event is both a celebration of Jo’s life and a collective calling to action to give a voice to the voiceless and to treat everyone with respect and dignity, especially those we disagree with.

The programme includes speeches and tributes by:

  • Liv Tørres, Executive Director, Nobel Peace Center
  • Sarah Gillett CMG CVO, British Ambassador to Norway
  • Zeina Bali, Syrian Peace Action Centre (SPACE)
  • Anniken Huitfeldt, Chair, Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence, Labour Party
  • Nikolai Astrup, Vice-Chair Conservative Party Parliamentary Group
  • Heikki Holmås, Socialist Left Party
  • Dr Pardis Shafafi, social anthropologist and former Londoner

— Updates:

You can find updates from other events around the world at the #MoreInCommon Facebook page, and at the events page.