Vigil held in Montreal for 6th anniversary of Quebec City mosque shooting

On the sixth anniversary of the Quebec City mosque attack, Quebecers across the province remembered the six men who were killed.

Mamadou Tanou Barry, Ibrahima Barry, Khaled Belkacemi, Abdelkrim Hassane, Azzeddine Soufiane and Aboubaker Thabti were gunned down shortly after evening prayers at the Islamic Cultural Centre on Jan. 29, 2017.

It was one of the deadliest mass shootings in Canadian history.

Sunday was the National Day of Remembrance of the Quebec City Mosque Attack and Action against Islamophobia. The federal government decreed two years ago Jan. 29 would be known as such going forward.

WATCH: Montrealers remember the victims of Quebec City mosque attack

Ceremonies in Quebec City, Montreal, Ottawa

In Quebec City, the commemoration ceremony was held for the first time inside the prayer room where the men were killed.

Organizers said holding the commemoration in the prayer room was an emotional and difficult decision, but an important one.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and several senior federal cabinet ministers attended, while Quebec deputy premier Genevieve Guilbault and fellow cabinet minister Jonatan Julien represented the provincial government.

WATCH: Ceremony marking six anniversary of the Quebec City Mosque shooting

Quebec Premier Francois Legault did not participate due to “family obligations,” according to his press secretary Ewan Sauves. Legault paid tribute to the victims in a tweet sent Sunday.

“We are disappointed that he has to miss the first commemoration held inside the mosque,” Nora Loreto, one of the organizers of the annual event, said of Legault’s absence.

“We understand the importance of family obligations, of course, but it is still a pity.”

Rappelons-nous cette tragédie. Rendons hommage aux victimes et à leurs familles. Au nom du gouvernement du Québec, je salue la mémoire d’Ibrahima Barry, Mamadou Tanou Barry, Khaled Belkacemi, Abdelkrim Hassane, Azzedine Soufiane, Aboubaker Thabti: nous ne vous oublierons jamais. pic.twitter.com/VMkB44xjdx

— François Legault (@francoislegault) January 29, 2023

In Montreal, a vigil took place at Parc metro.

It was a sombre gathering. Those in attendance held signs and candles remembering the victims, who were all husbands and fathers.

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Many in attendance said while it has been six years since the shooting, the pain still remains the same and that honouring the victims is something that must continue.

“It’s important to actually fight Islamophobia,” said Haroun Bouazzi, MP for Maurice-Richard. “And remind ourselves that the citizens from a Muslim background are discriminated in our society. And it’s very important to put in place policies, to be present… to actually get to a real equality.”

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Organizers of Sunday’s event say they hope Quebecers will never forget what happened that night in 2017. They also hope to bring about change so that something like that never happens again.

“Ignorance brings fear and fear brings violence,” said Salam El-Mousawi, the co-founder and spokesperson for Muslim Awareness Week. “Unfortunately, it’s a fight that we’re going to continue to have, but alone we cannot prevent and we cannot win it unless all other organizations, individuals put hand and hand together, get to the justice we are all looking for.”

WATCH: Montreal Muslim groups organize blood drive for Muslim Awareness Week

Also in Montreal Sunday, a blood drive took place at GLOBULE Versailles at the Place Versailles shopping mall.

Both events were part of Muslim Awareness Week.

Meanwhile in Ottawa, an inter-faith candlelight vigil took place to mark the sixth anniversary of the mosque shooting.

A Quebec City man who was 27 at the time of the attack pleaded guilty to the murders in 2018, with a judge later saying he was driven by a “visceral hate” of Muslims.

—With files from The Canadian Press