OTTAWA—Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer issued a second statement after facing a storm of criticism for failing to mention the terrorist attack in Christchurch was perpetrated against Muslims during Friday prayer.Other leaders, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Premier Doug Ford all made specific mention to the victims being Muslim or at prayer in a mosque.But Scheer’s initial statement suggested it was “freedom” under attack.“Freedom has come under attack in New Zealand as peaceful worshippers are targeted in a despicable act of evil. All people must be able to practice their faith freely without fear,” Scheer wrote Thursday night, adding “there are no words strong enough to condemn this kind of vile hatred.”The statement was widely criticized on social media and by anti-racism advocates, who pointed to the Conservative party’s past policies — such as the proposed niqab ban and the “barbaric practices” tip line — as well as Scheer’s failing to specifically mention the terrorist attack clearly targeted Muslims.After receiving media requests to respond to that criticism, Scheer’s office issued a second statement of condolences that was much more specific.“Houses of worship, like the two mosques attacked last night, should be places where all people can meet freely and without fear,” a quote attributed to Scheer read.“We stand with our Muslim brothers and sisters to ensure that they remain this way. We must condemn, in the strongest terms possible, the type of extreme and vile hatred that motivated this despicable act of evil.”Bernier Farber, the head of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, pointed out that it took 15 hours of criticism before Scheer updated his statement.“I don’t want to sound at all political, because the Canadian AntiHate Network is not (political). What we do is we concentrate and we ...
|
