The wounds are still alive with the Muslim community, six years after the massacre at the great mosque of Quebec, on January 29, 2017.
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Six men, Ibrahima Barry, Mamadou Tanou Barry, Khaled Belkacemi, Abdelkrim Hassane, Azzedine Soufiane and Aboubaker Thabti lost their lives in this incident after a shooter entered the scene with a firearm. It is one of the deadliest shootings in Quebec history.
The event sparked several debates across the province on Islamophobia and racism.
Today, many events are to take place across the province to commemorate the tragedy. The Grand Mosque itself invites the public to take part in a ceremony at its site at 5:30 p.m.
Quebec Premier François Legault and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be among those present at the ceremony.
“Today, we remember the six people who lost their lives and the 19 others who were seriously injured during the attack at the Islamic Cultural Center of Quebec in Sainte-Foy. We also salute the courage and selflessness of the first responders and members of the community who put their lives in danger and who did everything that day to save the faithful,” said Mr. Trudeau, in a press release. , adding among other things: “Islamophobia has no place in Canada”.
For his part, François Legault went there with a tweet in memory of the victims who perished in this tragedy, recalling that it is important not to forget them.
Since the event, the Trudeau government has declared January 29 as the National Day of Action Against Islamophobia in Canada.
The Samuel-De Champlain Bridge will be illuminated in green, from sunset until 1 a.m., to mark this day.