Six men were killed and 19 others were injured during the attack on Jan. 29, 2017.
Kitchener will glow green as it commemorates the sixth anniversary of the anti-Muslim attack in a Quebec City mosque that killed six men on Jan. 29, 2017.
Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic issued a statement Sunday morning, remembering the 19 people injured, acknowledging their trauma, and naming those that lost their lives: Ibrahima Barry, Mamadou Tanou Barry, Khaled Belkacemi, Abdelkrim Hassane, Azzeddine Soufiane, and Aboubaker Thabti.
“The City of Kitchener joins fellow Canadians in reflecting on this National Day of Remembrance of the Québec City Mosque Attack and Action against Islamophobia,” said Vrbanovic in the statement. “We condemn the senseless attack at the Center Culturel Islamique de Québec and commit to the collective fight to end Islamophobia.”
Joining cities and communities across Canada, Kitchener will show their unity by illuminating buildings and infrastructure, like Carl Zehr Square, with green lights, providing supporting messaging on signage boards, and joining in the national Green Square Campaign, which is organized by the National Council of Canadian Muslims and others.
This weekend, all City of Kitchener community centers with digital signs will also display messages of support for the #GreenSquareCampaign.
“I encourage Kitchener residents to join me in participating in the Green Square Campaign to show that we stand with those working to eliminate Islamophobia, hate, and racism in Canada,” said Vrbanovic. “Islamophobia and religious hate have no place in our community, in Canada, or anywhere. No one should be discriminated against based on their religion.”
According to Statistics Canada, police-reported hate crimes against Muslims rose 71 percent in 2021.
The Coalition of Muslim Women KW reports learning of hate incidents and acts of racial discrimination most notably in schools, healthcare settings, housing, and places of worship and the City of Kitchener said dozens of people have reported incidents of hate or discrimination, religious or otherwise .
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