CANADA, January 29 - Premier John Horgan has issued the following statement on the anniversary of the 2017 terrorist attack on the Centre Culturel Islamique de Québec:

“Although five years have passed since the terrorist attack on the Centre Culturel Islamique de Québec, the shock and horror of this despicable act have not diminished.

“The attack claimed the lives of six people and injured several more. It brought violence into a place of sanctity and affected Muslim communities around the world.

“We honour the memory of Ibrahima Barry, Mamadou Tanou Barry, Khaled Belkacemi, Abdelkrim Hassane, Azzedine Soufiane and Aboubaker Thabti. Thanks to their sacrifice, many more lives were saved. We join their families, friends and communities in mourning their loss.

“We are a stronger society when united by compassion rather than divided by hatred. Our response to this heinous attack must be to always confront Islamophobia in all its forms.

“We must be united in our opposition to hate speech and racist violence as we build a more equitable society that promotes respect for all.

“On this sombre anniversary, we stand with the Muslim community by pledging to continue the fight against hate, bigotry and Islamophobia.”

For translations: https://news.gov.bc.ca/26169#translations