The City of St. John’s will mark every Jan. 29 as a day of remembrance and action against Islamophobia in the province.
Deputy Mayor Sheilagh O’Leary brought forward the motion at Monday’s council meeting at the behest of members of the Muslim Association of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Jan. 29 will mark one year since the Quebec mosque shootings, which left six members of the Muslim community in Quebec City dead and another 19 injured.
Victims of the shooting included Ibrahima Barry, 39, Mamadou Tanou Barry, 42, Khaled Bilkacemi, 60, Aboubaker Thabti, 44, Abdelkrim Hassane, 41, and Azzedine Soufiane, 57.
Alexandre Bissonnette is charged with six counts of first-degree murder in the shooting.
Quebec Premier Phillipe Coulliard and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the shootings a terrorist attack shortly after the incident occurred.
O’Leary says St. John’s needs to show solidarity with the local Muslim community.
“In Canada, and certainly in Newfoundland, we like to pride ourselves on being inclusive and accepting, but obviously we’re not immune to those kinds of issues, either,” O’Leary said.
The motion calls on the city to lower flags to half mast and invite members of the local Muslim community to that day’s council meeting for a proclamation, and calls upon the provincial and federal government to follow suit on marking the tragedy.
The motion passed unanimously.
A vigil will also be held at the Masjid-al-Noor Mosque on Logy Bay Road from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Jan. 29.
Last year, a vigil was held at the mosque, where members of the community locked arms together in a show of support for the local Muslim community.
O’Leary says if the province is really serious about welcoming immigrants, such shows of support are needed.
“Racism and that kind of hatred is always going to be there in our society, but it’s imperative on our shoulders — especially as leaders in our city — that we actually do something about it,” O’Leary said.
“I think this is a great way for us all to join arms in support of our Muslim community.”
Twitter: DavidMaherNL
