Online events begin today marking fourth anniversary of Quebec City mosque shooting
Posted January 29, 2021 2:00 am.
Last Updated January 29, 2021 1:20 pm.
QUEBEC _ Ceremonies marking the fourth anniversary of the Quebec City mosque shooting began today with a call on Ottawa for more action on gun control and for Quebec to recognize the existence of Islamophobia.
Boufeldja Benabdallah, co-founder of the mosque where six men where killed in 2017, said the federal government’s decision to name Jan. 29 _ the day of the 2017 attack _ as a national day of remembrance will help people heal.
But Benabdallah said today that Ottawa hasn’t done enough to get handguns off the market.
Ottawa announced Thursday that Jan. 29 will also be a day of action against Islamophobia.
Quebec Premier Francois Legault, however, refused to use the term a press conference on Thursday, instead describing the attack as an act of “racism.”
Sebastien Bouchard, one of the organizers of the commemorations, said today that Islamophobia needs to be recognized and named.
A series of commemorations are planned for today and tomorrow, most of which will take place online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mamadou Tanou Barry, Ibrahima Barry, Khaled Belkacemi, Abdelkrim Hassane, Azzeddine Soufiane and Aboubaker Thabti were killed and five others wounded shortly after finishing evening prayers at the Quebec City Islamic cultural centre on Jan. 29, 2017.
This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
The Canadian Press
