Messages of love and support filled Saskatoon’s civic square Tuesday night as hundreds gathered for a vigil to profess their solidarity with the Muslim community in Quebec and with those impacted by recent U.S. travel restrictions.
“It’s amazing to see so many people come together and rally behind this,” Arisha Nazir, the vigil’s organizer, said afterwards.
“It just makes me so happy.”
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The vigil was planned in the wake of a mass shooting that left six people dead at a Quebec City mosque on Sunday. The tragedy occurred days after the U.S. suspended its refugee program and temporarily banned visitors from seven Muslim-majority countries.
Nazir said both events point to a level of Islamophobia that exists in the world and added that Tuesday’s vigil in Saskatoon was a way to combat the trend.
“We don’t fight hate with hate, we fight hate with love,” Nazir said.
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Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark and a number of civic leaders attended Tuesday’s vigil. Clark told the crowd that Saskatoon will continue to welcome refugees and new Canadians of all backgrounds.
“We believe our strength as a city lies in our capacity to be inclusive, resilient and a compassionate city for all,” Clark told the crowd Tuesday night.
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Clark and the rest of Saskatoon city council also gathered for a special meeting Tuesday at city hall, where they passed a motion to draft and send the letter of condolence to their counterparts in Quebec City.
“It’s really important that we show our support and encouragement to another municipality whose facing these circumstances right now,” Ward 3 councillor Ann Iwanchuk said after the meeting.
City council also affirmed statements made by Clark in the wake of the U.S. travel ban.