Rehtaeh Parsons vigil draws hundreds

Hundreds gathered in downtown Halifax Thursday evening in memory of Rehtaeh Parsons, a teen girl who was taken off life support Sunday following a suicide attempt after she was allegedly bullied for months.

The gathering began as a march that started on the Halifax waterfront at 6 p.m. and wound its way to Victoria Park at the corner of Spring Garden and South Park Street where a vigil was held.

Rehtaehs cousin, Angella Parsons, spoke to the crowd on behalf of the Parsons family.She made an emotional plea saying, "Bullying needs to stop."

"There is a culture of violence against women, nationally and internationally," she said.

"My family asks that everyone, that they not respond in violence or aggression to this terrible tragedy. Our family values the values that I was brought up with and the values that Rehtaeh lived by that all of us try our very best to live by and include love, respect and compassion," pleaded Parsons.

The vigil was held to honour Rehtaeh and bring awareness to the issue of bullying.