MONTREAL The most recent attack on a Montreal-area mosque has left a community on edge and asking for stronger action from authorities. There are children who come to the mosque, and parents who trust us to take care of them, said Salam Elmenyawi, the president of the Muslim Council of Montreal. All this terrified the community as easily someone pointing a gun and shooting. Surveillance footage from Monday evening shows a person approaching the Assahaba Islamique Community Centre on Belanger St. in eastern Montreal, and firing 11 shots with a BB gun before running away. The attack left a window pock-marked, but the invisible damage went deeper.
James, who is Korean, is one of many Asian Montrealers who have reported experiencing similar, seemingly random attacks since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Anti-Asian crime spiked in Montreal last year, police say
Members of Montreal s Asian community are speaking out against increasing hate crimes, which they say are likely linked to the pandemic.
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CBC News ·
Posted: Mar 02, 2021 5:34 PM ET | Last Updated: March 2
Bill Wong, director Chinatown s business development group, says China-bashing throughout the pandemic has fuelled anti-Asian sentiment.(CBC)
Members of Montreal s Asian communities say they are still targets of anti-Asian hate crimes a year after the first case of COVID-19 in Quebec.
Between March and December 2020, the Montreal police service (SPVM) recorded 22 crimes targeting Asian-Montrealers, an increase of 19 over the previous year.