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Interreligious relations - Hate Crimes in Quebec

Hate Crimes in Canada and Quebec: Statistical Portrait

During the 2010s, the progression of a social climate seemingly less favourable to intercultural relations in Quebec was noticeable. According to Statistics Canada, there was a significant increase in hate crimes in the country between 2009 and 2017, with the rate even jumping 47% in 2017. In fact, Quebec is the province with the highest rate in 2017 (more than 50% increase). It should be noted that hate crimes targeting religion experienced the largest increase, an increase of 83% over the 2009 to 2017 period, largely (83%) involving people who identify as Muslim. A situation more often encountered in France, but rather rare in Quebec to date, there have been cases where people with a Muslim-sounding first name have solicited the Director of Civil Status of Quebec to change their name in order to avoid discrimination in hiring.

Hate Crimes Targeting Religion

A number of hateful acts most often targeting Muslims in Quebec have taken place, including the spilling of pig’s blood on the façade of the Saguenay mosque in August 2013, the placing of a pig’s head wrapped in a gift package in front of the Grand Mosque in Quebec City in June 2016, and the distribution of a poster indicating "Saguenay ville blanche" (Saguenay white city) in July 2017. An attack targeting people of the Muslim faith took place on January 29, 2017, at the Grand Mosque in Quebec City, where six people were killed while they were praying. In Quebec City alone, municipal police reported an increase in hate crimes in the year following the January 2017 attack (from 25 for the year 2015 to 71 for the year 2017), where more than half (42 of 71) targeted people of the Muslim faith.

See also the current debate: "Report on xenophobic and notably islamophobic acts of hate".

D 2 June 2020    ABertrand Lavoie

CNRS Unistra Dres Gsrl

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