Wynne, party leaders condemn Paris attacks, Peterborough mosque fire

Party leaders share condolences with Paris, and condemn arson attack on Peterborough mosque.

Thestar.com
Nov. 16, 2015
By Robert Benzie and Rob Ferguson

Ontario leaders are appealing for calm after the apparent arson at Peterborough’s only mosque in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris.

The fire at Masjid Al-Salaam, which means “Mosque of Peace,” late Saturday caused about $80,000 in damage.

“It is almost impossible not to react with anger and loathing at the cowardice of these attacks,” Premier Kathleen Wynne said Monday after the terrorism in Paris that killed 129 people and left scores wounded.

“That anger will be coloured by vengeful rage, but at the heart of many of our responses is fear: fear that such random violence could touch any of us, fear that we will respond in ways that will further inflame, fear that we have no response that will be adequate and that will actually help the world to prevent such brutality tomorrow and the next day,” Wynne said.

“This evil can be overcome, as evil has been overcome in human history before. But fear is not the answer. Vengeful rage is not the answer,” she said at Queen’s Park, where flags are flying at half-staff for three days in respect for the people of Paris.

“I was saddened to hear about the disturbing case of arson at the mosque in Peterborough this weekend. In the shadow of Friday’s violence, our open, peaceful, inclusive democracy is even more important to the world.”

Progressive Conservative Leader Patrick Brown emphasized that “any act of hate is deplorable.”

“We must remain calm and tolerant, one of the most profound Canadian values,” Brown told the legislature.

“This past weekend, as the premier mentioned, we saw a mosque in Peterborough destroyed, deliberately set on fire,” he said.

“We must remember that Muslim Canadians also share in the world’s grief and anguish over ongoing conflict. The Muslim Association of Canada wrote, ‘Violence against civilians, wherever it is perpetrated, is unacceptable and a corruption of our [Muslim] beliefs. Human wisdom and divine teachings of Islam and indeed every faith teaches us to abhor such acts.’ ”

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said she was very concerned about the “disturbing” backlash after the deplorable Parisian attacks.

“A fire set to a mosque in Peterborough ... this is unacceptable. As the mayor of Peterborough said, attacking a place of worship is a despicable act,” said Horwath.

“The police will do their work to uncover what happened, but together we must do our work to ensure that such attacks are never tolerated,” she said.

“We must all reach out to the Muslim community in Ontario at this time, because there is no place in our province for acts of hate and prejudice against any community in any form.”

Meanwhile, Community Safety Minister Yasir Naqvi said Ontarians should “remain vigilant” in the wake of the Paris attacks, but noted “there are no imminent threats to Canada or Canadians within our borders or internationally, so there have not been any changes to the threat level.

“We always encourage Ontarians and Canadians to be mindful of their surroundings. But, at this moment, we don’t see any threat whatsoever linked to or related to what has happened in Paris,” he added.

“We all have to remain vigilant, but we shouldn’t be fearful.”

Asked how the government can protect soft targets such as restaurants and bars, similar to the ones attacked in Paris, Naqvi said: “I have full confidence in our security services. I have full confidence in the OPP and our municipal police services.”

Any decisions to beef up security at sporting events or large gatherings “are best dealt with by our police services.”