Commemorative vigil held in Park Extension for victims of 2017 Québec mosque massacre
Amid a setting January sun peeking from behind the tall buildings surrounding Parc Metro station, a large group gathered to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the 2017 Québec City mosque shooting and to remember the victims of the attack.
Residents, activists and politicians alike gathered to hold a candlelight vigil, to give speeches and commemorate one of the most deadly hate crimes in recent Québec history. Six people were killed in the massacre, while 19 others were injured during the 2017 terrorist attack.
The event was organized by several groups, including the Semaine Musulmane_Muslim Week and the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM).
Several local elected officials were also present at the commemoration, from both municipal, provincial and federal levels. Among others, Québec Solidaire MNA Andrés Fontecilla, Liberal MNA Frantz Benjamin, NDP federal MP Alexandre Boulerice, Park Extension city councillor Mary Deros and François-Perreault city councillor Sylvain Ouellet were present.
“We hope for a better future for our children, above all for the families of the victims, and we pray to Allah to welcome them in their paradise,”
Candlelight vigil
With the faces of the six victims on placards with the words “killed by Islamophobia” plastered at the bottom, people gave emotional and heartfelt speeches to the dozens of people standing in the crowd.
“Our presence here today is extremely important, extremely important that we stand together, people from all walks of life coming together to say that we remember,” said former politician Frank Baylis. “We will work together to make this province and this country a better place.”
Overcome with emotion, Hakim Chambaz, one of the survivors of the massacre, spoke from the Québec City event of the experience still fresh in his memory. “There was a choice between being silent and trying to forget and between confronting this tragedy and taking lessons from this horrible part of our lives,” said Chambaz, who now helps supports victims of other terrorist attacks.
“We hope for a better future for our children, above all for the families of the victims, and we pray to Allah to welcome them in their paradise,” he added.
Denouncing hate
Many elected officials also spoke at the event, calling for more to be done about hate and Islamophobic acts. “We are united and in solidarity with the grieving families and the families who were victims of this despicable act,” said Andrés Fontecilla, provincial MNA for Laurier-Dorion.
“Unfortunately hate exists, and it can drive some to commit acts this horrible, to take a weapon and kill fellow citizens who are Muslim,” he added. “We must never hesitate to denounce loud and clear all acts that bestow hate on our fellow citizens.”
Federal MP for Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie Alexandre Boulerice condemned that a similar commemorative event in Gatineau was moved online due to purported security risks related to the trucker convoy protest occurring at the same time. “There is still much work to be done,” he added.
Terrorist attack
At approximately 8:00 PM on Jan. 29, 2017, a gunman entered the Centre Culturel Islamique in Québec City’s Sainte-Foy neighbourhood and opened fire on worshipers inside during Friday evening prayers.
Using a Glock 9mm semi-automatic pistol, 27-year-old Alexandre Bisonette, killed 6 men and injured 19 others. Ibrahima Barry, Mamadou Tanou Barry, Khaled Belkacemi, Aboubaker Thabti, Abdelkrim Hassane and Azzedine Soufiane were among the dead.
Bisonette had been radicalized online, espousing Islamophobic views and deciding to commit the massacre after hearing a plan by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to admit more refugees into Canada.
In Feb. 2019, he pleaded guilty to six counts of first-degree murder and six counts of attempted murder and was sentenced to life in prison. After one of Québecs’ deadliest terrorist attacks on the Islamic community, public discussion grew on islamophobia and issues of right-wing terrorism in Canada.
Call for more action
Although the attack occurred 5 years ago, many have called out the federal government as not having done enough to control the types of weapons that were used in the Québec City massacre. The leadership of the Islamic centre where the tragedy occurred called for a Canada-wide ban on handguns the week before the commemoration.
“If we are writing to you today, it is to beg you to stop your efforts to absolve the federal government of responsibility for the handgun issue,” wrote Boufeldja Benabdallah and Mohamed Khabar, in a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
They reminded the Trudeau government that it is the “responsibility of the federal government to legislate in this direction so that the process is implemented by you from coast to coast.”
“It is absolutely harmful and shameful to note that in five years, nothing has been done to change the circumstances that allowed this individual to acquire or keep such an arsenal,” continued the letter. “In other words, an individual with the same profile could today own the same weapons and accessories.”
