Black ribbon

Sign of mourning

• In Spain, the ribbon is a sign of mourning for those killed in the terrorist attack - a van driving through a pedestrian street
• In Malaysia, the ribbon is for those killed in the fly Boeing KLM/Malaysia Airlines
• In the United States, this ribbon is a sign of mourning for those killed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
• In New Zealand, a black ribbon was worn by family members after the deaths of 29 trapped miners in the Pike River Mine disaster on November 26, 2010, used as a symbol of mourning and grief after 185 people tragically lost their lives on February 22, 2011 in the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake and the deaths of 2 people after the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake on 14th November, 2016.
• In Poland, a black ribbon was worn mourning the Polish president Lech Kaczyński, his wife, and 94 other people who died aboard the plane in the Smolensk air disaster on April 10, 2010.
• Black ribbons were worn and placed on doors after the May 1992 Westray Mine Disaster in Pictou County, Nova Scotia, Canada.
• The ribbon was worn in the United Kingdom after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997.
• The black ribbon again made an appearance shortly after category 3 Hurricane Katrina landed along the Gulf Coast of the United States in August 2005.
• The black ribbon was a symbol of popular grief in Spain after the 11 March 2004 Madrid attacks. It was worn on clothing and also pinned on the Spanish flag.
• Google displayed a black ribbon as a mark of respect and sympathy for victims of 9/11, the 7 July 2005 London bombing, victims of Hurricane Katrina, victims of flight MH17, victims of the Charlie Hebdo shooting, for the death of Lee Kuan Yew, for victims of the November 2015 Paris attacks, for the victims of the mass shooting in Orlando in June 2016, for the victims of the charter flight crash in Colombia in November 2016, for the victims of the February 14th Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. They also displayed the black ribbon in recognition of the Manchester Arena bombing. The black ribbon was also displayed in recognition of the terrorist attacks at Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre in Christchurch, New Zealand on March 15, 2019, as well as the El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio shootings, both on the same day of August 4, 2019.
• After the April 2007 Virginia Tech shooting at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia.
• After the earthquake on August 15, 2007 in Peru, black ribbons were the icons of all Peruvian television channels for 3 days.
• After the death of Heath Ledger in January 2008, Warner Brothers placed a black ribbon on their marketing website for The Dark Knight in his memory.
• The black ribbon was used in remembrance to "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott of Pantera fame. It was modified to include a silhouette of Dimebag and his name and years of birth and death and used as a patch and sticker for the first annual Ride For Dime in honor of his music and life after being fatally shot on stage with his band Damageplan.
• The black ribbon has been also used by the journalists in the Philippines to condemn the killings of journalists on the Maguindanao massacre.
• In Northern Ireland, Bloody Sunday 1972 – to remember the murders and attempted murders of civilians at the peak of The Troubles.
• Police officers often wear black ribbons in mourning of fallen officers.
• July 20, 2012: The 12 people killed, out of the 71 shot, at the midnight premiere of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colorado.
• December 14, 2012: The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting; 28 killed at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut.
• In the United States to remember construction workers who died after being hit by motorists.
• Turks use the black ribbon to mourn for the casualties of Turkish soldiers in the Kurdish–Turkish conflict.
• The 2013 London Marathon runners were given a black ribbon to wear to mark the Boston Marathon bombing.
• Giant-Shimano cycling team wore a black ribbon, and Belkin Pro Cycling Team wore a black armband on 18-July in the 2014 Tour de France and Google displayed a black ribbon on the homepage after flight MH17's crash.
• In recognition of the 43 Ayotzinapa students involved in the Iguala kidnappings on September 26, 2014.
• January 7, 2015, for both attacks on the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris when 12 journalists and two police officers were killed, and in the greater Paris where a municipal police officer was shot.
• January 9, 2015, for the attack on a shop in the 12th arrondissement of Paris where four hostages were killed.
• January 19–20, 1990, Soviet Army invaded Baku, Azerbaijan. According to official estimates, 137 Azerbaijani civilians were killed. Black January in Azerbaijan
• January 25–30, 2015, used by the Philippine National Police to mourn the SAF 44 who were killed in Mamasapano
• February 25–26, 1992, by Armenian armed forces and Soviet/Russian 366th Rifle Regiment in town Khojaly was the killing 161 ethnic Azerbaijani civilians. Khojaly Massacre
• March 23–29, 2015, used by Singapore, to mark the passing of former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew
• July 29, 2015, Google displayed a black ribbon on the homepage of Google India in memory of Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.
• In August 2015, most of the Burmese civil doctors started the black ribbon campaign to say "No" for militarily overwhelming in health administration.
• August 22, 2015, Black ribbon worn by some military personnel, including cadet organisations throughout the United Kingdom in remembrance of the 2015 Shoreham Airshow crash
• October 2, 2015, Google displayed a Black Ribbon with the alt text "Our hearts are with the families and community of Roseburg, Oregon". There was a college shooting there, on the previous day.
• November 13–17, 2015, Google displayed a Black Ribbon on the home page of all Google sites after the November 2015 Paris attacks in Paris, France.
• November 14, 2015, Apple Inc. displayed a Black Ribbon on home page of their France site after the November 2015 Paris attacks
• November 2015, At the Colectiv Club in Romania, a fire killed 55 people and about 150 people being hospitalized with bad injuries.
• December 3, 2015, Google displayed a Black Ribbon with the alt text "Our hearts are with the families and community of San Bernardino". On the previous day, December 2, a mass shooting occurred in San Bernardino, California at the Inland Regional Center during a holiday event, where a couple opened fire on party-goers, killing 14 and wounding 22. The perpetrators, Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, fled in an SUV, but were later killed during a shootout with police that also left two officers wounded.
• March 23–25, 2016, Google displayed a Black Ribbon on the home page of all Google sites after the Brussels bombings.
• June 11, 2016, YouTube displayed a Black Ribbon next to the YouTube logo after American Singer Christina Grimmie was shot and killed after one of her concerts. This black ribbon would later be used for the LGBT nightclub shooting the next day.
• June 12, 2016, Google displayed a Black Ribbon with the alt text "Our hearts are with the victims, their families, and the community of Orlando". They displayed this after a mass shooting that occurred at Pulse an LGBT nightclub in Orlando, Florida. It was the deadliest mass shooting on American soil with 49 dead, before being overtaken by the 2017 Las Vegas shooting with 58 dead. It was deemed a hate crime.
• July 3, 2016, Google displayed a black ribbon with the alt text "In remembrance of the Karrada bombing victims". They displayed this after 2016 Baghdad bombing that occurred at an Al Lith upmarket in Karrada, Baghdad, Iraq. It occurred two days before Eid al-Fitr. It was deemed as a hate crime and terrorist act linked to ISIS.
• December 20, 2016, Google and YouTube displayed a black ribbon with the alt text "Our thoughts are with the victims in Berlin and their families.". They displayed this after 2016 Berlin attack that occurred at Breitscheidplatz in Berlin, Germany.
• January 30, 2017, Google Canada displayed a black ribbon with the alt text "Our hearts are with the people of Quebec City." In French "Nos coeurs sont avec les personnes touchées à Québec." This was displayed after the gun attack of a Mosque in Quebec City that left at least 6 people dead and 8 injured.
• April 7, 2017, Google Sweden displayed a black ribbon with the alt text "Our thoughts are with Stockholm, the victims and their loved ones" in Swedish "Våra tankar är med Stockholm, offren och deras närstående". The ribbon was displayed because the 2017 Stockholm attack where a truck was used to drive down Drottninggatan by a terrorist which led to the death of 5 people and 7 injured. YouTube also displayed a black ribbon next to the YouTube logo.
• April 9, 2017, Google Arabic displayed a black ribbon as a mark of respect and sympathy for victims of 2017 Palm Sunday church bombings in Tanta and Alexandria, Egypt.
• May 23, 2017, Google UK homepage displayed a black ribbon with the alt text "Our thoughts are with the victims of the Manchester attack", and YouTube displayed it next to the home button, in reference to the Manchester Arena bombing in Manchester, United Kingdom, in which 22 victims lost their life and a further 120 were injured while attending an Ariana Grande concert.
• June 18, 2017, Google Portugal displayed a black ribbon as a mark of respect and sympathy for the victims of the 2017 Portugal wildfires.
• September 11, 2017, Google displayed a black ribbon with the alt text "Remembering September 11th" in reference to the September 11 attacks on the WTC in 2001.
• October 2, 2017, Google displayed a black ribbon as a mark of respect and acknowledgement for the victims of the 2017 Las Vegas shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada, the deadliest mass shooting in United States history in which 58 people died. The highlighted text read alt text "Our hearts are with the victims, their families, and the community of Las Vegas."
• November 25, 2017, Google displayed a black ribbon as a mark of respect for the victims of the 2017 Sinai mosque attack.
• February 15, 2018, Google displayed a black ribbon as a mark of respect for the victims, families, and the community of Parkland, Florida after the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting that happened a day earlier resulting in 17 dead with the alt text "Our hearts are with the victims, their families, and the community of Parkland."
• April 23, 2018, Google displayed a black ribbon in support of the victims, families, and city of Toronto after 10 people were run over by a van along the sidewalk. Several others were injured.
• October 29, 2018, Google displayed a black ribbon as a mark of respect for the victims, families, and the community of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania after the shooting at the Tree of Life - Or L'Simcha Congregation that happened a day earlier with the alt text "Our hearts are with the victims, their families, and the community of Pittsburgh."
• November 8, 2018, Google displayed a black ribbon as a mark of respect for the victims of the Thousand Oaks shooting in Thousand Oaks, California with the alt text "Our hearts are with the victims, their families, and the community of Thousand Oaks, CA."
• February 14, 2019: The black ribbon has been used as a mark of solidarity for the soldiers martyred in the terrorist attacks at Pulwama, India.
• March 15, 2019: Google displayed a black ribbon as a mark of respect for the 51 victims of terrorist attacks at Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre in Christchurch, New Zealand described as "One of New Zealand's darkest days" by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
• April 23, 2019: Google Sri Lanka homepage displayed a black ribbon as a sign of sympathy, respect and mourning for the 253 people or victims killed in suicide bombings or terrorist attacks on multiple or several churches and hotels around Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, 2019.
• August 4, 2019: Google displayed of black ribbon as a sign of sympathy for those killed at the mass shootings at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas and a bar in Dayton, Ohio.
• September 1, 2019: Before the start of the Formula One Johnnie Walker Belgian Grand Prix, all 20 F1 drivers wore black ribbons in memory of late Formula 2 BWT Arden driver Anthoine Hubert, who died during the F2 Belgian round feature race. His friend, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, dedicated his win to Hubert.
• September 11, 2019: Google displayed a black ribbon pinned on the US flag with the alt text "Remembering September 11th" in reference to the September 11 attacks on the WTC in 2001.
• December 9, 2019: Google displayed a black ribbon as a sign of sympathy and respect for those who died in Samoa, particularly young children, due to the measles outbreak, as the death toll slightly increases each day. 70+ fatalities confirmed.
• March 2020: A black ribbon was placed on the flag of Spain representing lives lost resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic.
• April 18th, 2020: Google displayed a black ribbon on their home page in response to the deaths arising from the mass shooting in Nova Scotia, Canada. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/19/portapique-shooting-nova-scotia-rcmp-canada
• May 31st, 2020: Google displayed a black ribbon on their home page with the alt text "We stand in support of racial equality, and all those who search for it." This was in response to the death of George Floyd who died while being detained by police in Minnesota.

  Other meanings

• Melanoma awareness, to bring awareness to melanoma and worn by people who know someone or are themselves affected by melanoma. Sometimes shown as black with white polka dots.
• In Argentina, a black ribbon, sometimes with the national flag's colours in both ends, is used to raise awareness about the victims of subversive terrorism.
• By the Anarchist Black Ribbon Campaign, a free speech campaign started in 1996 inspired by the Blue Ribbon Online Free Speech Campaign.
• During the 6th International Israeli Apartheid Week the black ribbon was worn worldwide to show support and promote awareness of the Palestinian struggle.
• In India, 2011 to show support to Anna Hazare who was fasting to fight against corruption by government.
• In India, 2019 to show grief for 40 soldiers died in Pulwama attack by Pakistan on 14 February 2019
• Narcolepsy awareness, to bring awareness to narcolepsy worn by anybody who supports Narcolepsy awareness.
• Worn by people who have suffered from any intentions of self harming on November 30 of every year.
• The purpose of the Black Ribbon in New Zealand campaign is to remove discrimination from violence prevention awareness, and establish equal representation for all regardless of sex/gender, marital status, religious belief, ethical belief, colour, race, ethnic or national origins, disability, age, political opinion, employment status, family status, and sexual orientation.
• Australia is using the Black Ribbon as awareness for domestic abuse against men and fathers and their children. It can also be used to support all other forms of abuse whereas the white ribbon mainly relates to domestic abuse against women. This has to come to be because there is no support system in place for and men or fathers with/without their children to be safe. This organisation also hopes to help fathers with custody hearings towards where their children will end up, because a lot of the time women will win custody.

  In fiction

• In the Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett, the black ribbon is worn by vampires to show that they have sworn never to drink blood again.

  Variations