Thousands gather for Anzac Day in Australia, New Zealand amid heightened security 0 SHARES Share it! Share TweetBy ReutersWELLINGTON/SYDNEY (Reuters) – Tens of thousands gathered in Australia and New Zealand at Anzac Day memorials on Thursday amid heightened security following the shooting massacre at Christchurch mosques and deadly suicide bombings of churches and hotels in Sri Lanka. Anzac Day commemorates the bloody battle on the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey during World War One. Addressing thousands gathered for a dawn service at the Auckland War Memorial Museum, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that, in the wake of the Christchurch massacre, Anzac Day 2019 should be an even greater uniting force. Heightened security saw about 1,000 police deployed across New Zealand at hundreds of locations and security concerns meant Anzac Day events in Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, and elsewhere were scaled back.

Source: Manila Bulletin April 25, 2019 01:41 UTC