The political class paid tribute, Sunday, to the six victims of the attack perpetrated against the great mosque of Quebec, which occurred six years ago today to the day. Prime Minister François Legault will not be able to attend the commemoration in the evening, however, due to family obligations.
“Let us remember this tragedy. We pay tribute to the victims and their families. […] We will never forget you, ”Nevertheless tweeted Mr. Legault at the start of the day, sharing a photo of the monument that was erected in front of the Grand Mosque in memory of the six Quebecers of the Muslim faith who lost their lives during the attack.
For the very first time this year, the commemoration will take place in the prayer room of the Grand Mosque, between 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is scheduled to speak there, while the Government of Quebec will instead be represented by the Deputy Prime Minister. Geneviève Guilbault, and the Minister responsible for the Capitale-Nationale, Jonatan Julien. François Legault will be absent since he “has family obligations”, his office said on Sunday.
“We are disappointed that he must miss the first commemoration which is held inside the mosque, reacted one of the organizers, Nora Loreto. We understand the importance of family obligations, of course, but it’s still a shame. Nevertheless, the return to the prayer room to honor the memory of the victims is “very significant”, according to the organizing committee, which, at a press conference on Thursday, spoke of a place “charged with emotions and meaning “.
On the evening of January 29, 2017, a gunman broke into the great mosque of Quebec at prayer time. He discharged his weapon, killed six, seriously injured and some 17 orphans. Ibrahima Barry, Mamadou Tanou Barry, Khaled Belkacemi, Abdelkrim Hassane, Azzedine Soufiane and Aboubaker Thabti fell under the bullets of the shooter. They left behind their wives and some 17 orphaned children.
Montreal will also remember
In Montreal, a vigil is planned in the afternoon at the Parc metro station to pay tribute to the victims. The activity is organized by the Muslim Discovery Week (MSW), in collaboration with the Network for Peace, Independent Jewish Voices Canada and No to Law 21. The Samuel-De Champlain Bridge will also be illuminated in green during the day. .
“We do not respond to evil with evil. The lives that are gone will not be gone, because they lead us to a big reflection on living together, by building bridges between us. This is not how we can eliminate hatred,” argued the president of SSM, Samira Laouni, in an interview with The Press.
More than a hundred people are expected at the rally, including several politicians. “With the rise in hate crimes, you could say no, our fight has not evolved. But when I see examples like Rimouski, which has just decreed a week of Muslim awareness, it gives me hope. All is not black. We can always continue to break down stereotypes, ”insists Mme Laouni.
On social networks, Liberal leader Marc Tanguay also spoke of a duty to remember. “Let’s stand united against hatred, violence and Islamophobia,” he said.
Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, the parliamentary leader of Québec solidaire, will be at the rally at the great mosque with the deputy for Jean-Lesage, Sol Zanetti. “All together against racism and Islamophobia. All together for a Quebec of dignity and justice,” he wrote on Twitter.
“Today, let’s honor the memory of the victims and let’s continue to work collectively so that such acts of violence never happen again,” said the Parti Québécois executive.
“Islamophobia has no place in Canada, and we must continue to help Muslims feel safe. Today, let us reflect on the progress made and the work to be done to build a better, more inclusive and more secure Canada,” Prime Minister Trudeau also said earlier.
Against the backdrop of debates
Last Thursday, the organizing committee had once again strongly denounced the Legault government’s law 21, which was adopted in 2019, because it would have uninhibited Islamophobia. “This law has upset everything we do as work for living together,” lamented in particular the president of the Islamic Cultural Center of Quebec, Mohamed Labidi. “Our brothers and sisters all feel targeted by this law,” he added.
Law 21 prohibits state employees in positions of authority from wearing religious symbols. Friday, on the sidelines of the caucus of his deputies in Laval, Mr. Legault again defended it. He said it was “wrong” to claim the law had made Islamophobia easier.
“It’s a law that is reasonable,” said Mr. Legault at a press conference. It’s a compromise. There are political parties that proposed to go much further than that. I think it meets the will of a majority of Quebecers, […] and for me it is wrong to say that it has an impact on people who choose not to like Muslims,” he added.
With The Canadian Press