MONTREAL – The provincial government has provided another half-million-dollar shot in the arm for Montreal’s year-old anti-radicalization centre.
“We’re investing new money because we want to emphasize how important it is to prevent when you talk anti-radicalization,” said Public Security Minister Martin Coiteux, who made the announcement Thursday.
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The province gave the centre $1 million recently, and the City of Montreal is throwing in an addition $1 million over two years.
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Mayor Denis Coderre noted in a press conference the centre is expanding into schools.
“You have to prevent that the worst can happen by going through schools,” he said.
Coderre said the centre was looked at favourably during a stop he made to the United Nations in New York City.
The centre has received 647 calls since opening a year ago, referring nine of them to police and with 147 requiring “direct intervention.”
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Meriam Rebbani Gosselin, a researcher with the centre, said the money will be used “to work in schools and really work on our multimedia platform.”
“A younger audience is the audience targeted by all kinds of propaganda. That’s where we want to have our counter-message,” insisted Gosselin.
* with files from The Canadian Press.
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