Tearful Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau vows solidarity with Muslims during funeral for three of the six victims slain in Quebec mosque massacre
- Thousands pack Quebec City convention center for memorial service for three of the six people killed in Sunday's attack
- Trudeau warns public of consequences of hate speech while emphasizing solidarity with Canada's Muslim community
- Two of the victims laid to rest on Friday were from African nation of Guinea, and the third victim was from Morocco
- Funerals for the other three victims were held on Thursday at Maurice-Richard Arena in Montreal
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shed tears and preached national unity during Friday's funerals for three of the six victims who were gunned down at a Quebec mosque by a far-right gunman late Sunday night.
The premier joined thousands of dignitaries, community leaders, and citizens at the Quebec City convention center for the memorial service.
He said that the shooting should give public figures pause as to what words and statements they make through the press, according to The Toronto Star.
'It's high time those behind these messages - whether they are politicians, radio or TV hosts or other public personalities - realize the harm their words can cause,' Trudeau said.
'Confronted with these words that hurt and exclude, it falls on us to defend the values that are important to us.'
The memorial service was held in honor of Mamadou Tanou Barry, 42; Ibrahima Barry, 39; and Azzedine Soufiane, 57.
The Barry men were from the African nation of Guinea. Soufiane immigrated to Canada from Morocco, according to The Star.
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'Every one of us is responsible for leading the fight against injustice and discrimination in daily life, for acting in a way that represents who we are, that represents Canada, that represents the country that Azzedine Soufiane, Mamadou Tanou Barry and Ibrahima Barry loved so much,' Trudeau said.
The funerals came one day after memorial services were held in Montreal for the other three fatalities in the mosque shooting.
Trudeau told the thousands who attended the services at Quebec's Maurice-Richard Arena on Thursday that the massacre had strengthened Canada's solidarity with its Muslim community.
Trudeau addressed the crowd in Arabic, saying, 'As-Salaam-alaikum,' which means 'peace be unto you,' drawing rounds of applause.
The Liberal Party leader stood before the caskets of Abdelkrim Hassane, Khaled Belkacemi and Aboubaker Thabti, which were draped in flags of their homelands.
'It is with a heavy heart that we come together this afternoon to grieve the loss of these innocent lives. But as a community and as a country, together we will rise from this darkness stronger and more unified than ever before. That is who we are,' Trudeau told the solemn crowd.
Thabti, 44, was a pharmacist of Tunisian origin who had three children.
Belkacemi, a 60-year-old father of two, was from Algeria and was a professor at Universite Laval.
Hassane, a 41-year-old also from Algeria, was a father of three and worked in information technology for the Quebec provincial government.
Trudeau called them devoted fathers who worked hard to ensure their families had a bright future - a dream, he said, that Canadians have known and shared for generations.
Those men, along with three others, were killed when a gunman entered the mosque and opened fire during evening prayers. Nineteen more were wounded.
University student Alexandre Bissonnette, 27, has been charged with murder and attempted murder.
He was arrested Sunday night following the attack. Bissonnette was a fan of French far-right leader Marine Le Pen and President Donald Trump, and acquaintances said he took extreme nationalist, pro-Le Pen positions at Laval University and on social media.
Quebec Mayor Denis Coderre, who was among the dignitaries at the funeral, said the attack was a blow to everyone.
'I think that we are all suffering from' the shooting, he said. 'Not just the Muslim community, it's not just the people of Quebec. Everyone is suffering from this.'
Philippe Couillard, premier of Quebec province, noted all six dead were fathers like him.
'They were sons and brothers and uncles, like me, like us. Friends, co-workers, like us. They were us. They were loved, appreciated, respected, and they always will be. We won't forget them.'
'I want to tell Muslim Quebecers: You're at home here. We are all Quebecers,' Couillard said to thunderous applause and cheers.
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