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A World War II veteran has warmed hearts around the globe after he attended a rally to pay respects to the victims of the Christchurch massacre.
John Sato, 95, caught four buses from his home in east Auckland to Aotea Square in the city centre on Wednesday.
The elderly gentleman was pictured gripping onto a police officer and a good Samaritan as he paid tribute to the 50 Muslims who lost their lives in the terrorist attack.
Speaking to Radio New Zealand, Mr Sato said he struggled to sleep the night of the Christchurch terror attack on March 15.
‘I stayed awake quite a lot of the night, and I didn’t sleep too well ever since you know, I thought it was so sad. You can feel the suffering of other people,’ he said.
After hearing about vigils taking place across the country, Mr Sato was determined to take part.
He caught the first bus at 10am to a mosque in Auckland, before taking three more buses to join thousands of others at a rally.
A kind police officer even drove Mr Sato back home after the vigil ended.
‘That tragedy in Christchurch, look what it brought out in the people, it shows the best of humanity,’ the war veteran added.
Mr Sato was recruited into the NZ army to fight against Japan during World War II and is of Kiwi-Japanese descent.
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