Holy Week marchers rally for immigration rights

Immigration activists joined the religious faithful at the Marietta square Thursday to mark the end of an 8-mile march through Cobb County.

The trek from St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Smyrna to the square was one leg of a 50-mile pilgrimage that began Sunday in Gainesville. It ends Friday in Atlanta.

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BOB ANDRES / bandres@ajc.com

Ingrid Torsay from Marietta, performs the ritual foot washing on Salomon H’nojosa on Thursday.

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Hector Romero of Kennesaw, among the crowd of about 400 in the square, watched as a line of clergymen and community residents on the stage kneeled and washed the feet of several marchers, re-enacting Christ’s washing the feet of his disciples.

Romero called the march an opportunity for two divided communities and cultures to come together.

“It’s also about the immigrants’ struggle,” he said. “It’s about the unfairness of laws against immigrants in the county. “

Nashua Chantal made the trek from the start in Gainesville.

Chantal, an Americus resident, said taking a stance for immigrant rights during Holy Week is appropriate.

“All people are immigrants from the very beginning,” said Chantal. “Sometimes we have to take a stance on religious days.”