Quebec City mosque attack suspect known for right-wing online posts

[chuckChuck]

Quebec City mosque attack suspect known for right-wing online posts

Les Perreaux and Eric Andrew-Gee

MONTREAL and TORONTO — The Globe and Mail

Published Monday, Jan. 30, 2017 4:25PM EST

Last updated Monday, Jan. 30, 2017 4:52PM EST

The suspect in the deadly attack on a Quebec City mosque was known in the city’s activist circles as a right-wing troll who frequently took anti-foreigner and anti-feminist positions and stood up for U.S. President Donald Trump.

Alexandre Bissonnette, 27, a student at Laval University who lived on a quiet crescent in the Cap-Rouge suburb of Quebec City, was expected in court Monday to face murder charges for the shooting that killed six people and wounded 19 others. Police initially arrested a person they considered a second suspect but they later backtracked, saying he was a witness.

Mr. Bissonnette’s online profile and school friendships revealed little interest in extremist politics until last March when French nationalist leader Marine Le Pen visited Quebec City and inspired Mr. Bissonnette to vocal extreme online activism, according to people who clashed with him.

Vincent Boissoneault, a student in international relations at Laval University, grew up with Mr. Bissonnette and was friends with him on Facebook. He said they frequently clashed on politics when Mr. Bissonnette attacked refugees or expressed support for Ms. Le Pen or Mr. Trump.

“I can tell you he was certainly no Muslim convert. I wrote him off as a xenophobe. I didn’t even think of him as totally racist, but he was enthralled by a borderline racist nationalist movement,” Mr. Boissoneault said.

François Deschamps, an employment councillor who runs a refugee support Facebook page, said he immediately recognized Mr. Bissonnette’s photo. “He was someone who made frequent extreme comments in social media denigrating refugees and feminism. It wasn’t outright hate, rather part of this new nationalist conservative identity movement that is more intolerant than hateful.”

Mr. Bissonnette’s Facebook profile was removed from public view Monday morning along with the comments he left behind. Before Ms. Le Pen’s visit, Mr. Bissonnette’s friends say he showed little interest in politics, despite studying the subject at Laval University.

Former classmates from the CEGEP junior college he attended after high school described him as a quiet, unassuming guy who blended in. “It’s scary that this would happen here,” said one of the friends, Antoine Cabanac.

Michel Kingma-Lord, who grew up with Mr. Bissonnette, said he was “shocked” by the news that his erstwhile friend was suspected in a mass shooting. The two had grown apart in recent years, but spent many happy hours collecting minerals together as boys, scouring the schoolyard for bits of quartz.

“He was a really good guy,” said Mr. Kingma-Lord. “A very generous kind of guy, always listening, polite.”

Mr. Bissonnette studied political science, Mr. Kingma-Lord said, but seemed more interested in the campus chess club than any kind of ideology. “He never posted anything about hate speech,” Mr. Kingma-Lord said. “He wouldn’t share any political ideology. When we talked, it was just normal talk.”

Acquaintances from Mr. Bissonnette’s earlier years at Les Compagnons-de-Cartier high school in Quebec City say he was introverted, socially awkward and frequently bullied. Toma Popescu remembered bigger kids teasing Mr. Bissonnette for his slight, pallid appearance and his unfashionable clothing. “He dressed like a country boy,” Mr. Popescu said.

The bullies who targeted Mr. Bissonnette would demand his money and his lunch, even roughing him up, Mr. Popescu added. But Mikael Labrecque Berger said that Mr. Bissonnette wasn’t cowed by his social problems at school.

“He never seemed to take it like personally,” Mr. Berger. “He had an almost happy attitude about it.”

“Someone [would] tell him, ‘You’re ugly,’ and he would say, ‘You too are ugly.’”

Before it was removed, Mr. Bissonnette’s Facebook page revealed normal preoccupations of young adulthood. While he “liked” the page of Ms. Le Pen and other right-wing politicians, he also liked Garfield and pop stars such as Katy Perry.

On Halloween, he posted a picture of himself in a screaming ghoul costume – first popularized by the Scream horror-movie franchise. “Nothing original but it’s a classic,” he wrote.

He also posted a photo of himself wearing what appeared to be a cadet uniform several years ago. A spokesman for the Canadian Forces confirmed that Mr. Bissonnette had participated in the cadet program from 2002 to 2004 in the Quebec City area.

Records show he bought a Chevy Malibu with his twin brother, Mathieu, in 2011. They were also chess-club teammates around that time.

Police searched a house belonging to Mr. Bissonnette’s father, Raymond Bissonnette, on Monday morning. The address showed up on several traffic tickets issued to Alexandre Bissonnette in recent years.

Police say the suspect was not on their radar before the attack. A court records search shows no other involvement with police other than traffic tickets.

With reports from Verity Stevenson and Sean Gordon in Quebec City, Colin Freeze and Tu Thanh Ha in Toronto, and Daniel Leblanc in Ottawa.

[chuckChuck]

"The suspect in the deadly attack on a Quebec City mosque was known in the city’s activist circles as a right-wing troll who frequently took anti-foreigner and anti-feminist positions and stood up for U.S. President Donald Trump."

Does this sound familiar?

[JoeyJeremiah]

"The suspect in the deadly attack on a Quebec City mosque was known in the city’s activist circles as a right-wing troll who frequently took anti-foreigner and anti-feminist positions and stood up for U.S. President Donald Trump."

Does this sound familiar?

Larry, I apologize for calling you out before on the Chuck thread at Christmas. This man is an idiot. Though he may have some value in the odd post, he just can't leave well enough alone. Just stfu Chuck. Your post has no value to any conversation.

This is in no way similar to anything posted. Are some posters bigoted assholes, absolutely. Are you actually helping, not a chance.

[chuckChuck]

The point I would like to make is that leaders who espouse hating immigrants, Muslims or anyone, give license to those who for whatever reason are willing to commit violence.

So you may think your anti Muslim posts are of little importance but the reality can be very different.

Jason Kenney, Brad Wall are as Conservatives willing to support legitimate refugees. But on Agriville not so much support.

Too bad if you don't like my posts I could care less.

[chuckChuck]

'Protectionist or anti-immigration sentiment' not Wall's type of conservatism, premier says
Vigils planned after mass shooting kills 6, wounds 19

CBC News Posted: Jan 30, 2017 11:49 AM CT Last Updated: Jan 30, 2017 4:06 PM CT
Brad Wall spoke to the media Monday afternoon in the wake of the deadly Quebec City mosque shooting.

Premier Brad Wall spoke to reporters this afternoon after a horrific shooting at a Quebec City mosque and the immigration ban imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Six men were killed during evening prayers at the Centre Culturel Islamique de Québec (Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec) on Sunday night. Nineteen people were also wounded.

One man has been arrested in connection to the crime.

Meanwhile, vigils are being planned this week across the province to speak out against the shooting.

"It's just unspeakably horrific that this shooting has occurred, that lives have been lost," Wall said.

"We don't know the reasons why but I'm not sure that matters today. Today our thoughts and prayers are with all of those that were impacted by this, with the families of the victims and those who are fighting for their lives."
Wall on immigration

"I don't know when protectionist or anti-immigration sentiment became conservative because that's not my conservatism ... It's certainly not what has built this province," Wall said.

Wall said people are looking at what has worked in the past and what will work best to deliver a quality of life, regardless of political leaning.

"This province is built on immigration. Together with First Nations, we're built on immigrants," Wall said.

"Unless you're a First Nations [person] first of all, you better claim to be pretty interested in the interests of immigrants because you're just a few degrees removed from being one or you're one yourself," the premier added.

Wall said immigration has worked for Canada and the United States as countries. He added the immigration policy needs to be reasonable, balanced and economy-sensitive.

"Along with a positive immigration policy comes compassion with those groups who are fleeing something," he said referring to his own Mennonite heritage, as well as Ukrainian immigrants and the Holodomor.
Language barrier and employment

Wall said the language barrier is the biggest factor in "stubborn and persistent high unemployment" among refugees and immigrants in the province.

"We have well trained people who would otherwise be very employable except for the language barrier," he said, referring to IT technicians or mechanics among the refugee demographics.

English as a second language training, education supports, social assistance and healthcare will be needed, Wall said.

"For us, going into the budget year, it's about in the order of about $15 million that we think the federal government should be supporting us for," Wall said.

He noted in provinces where refugees are being taken in on a higher per capita basis, he feels they face the same challenges. Wall said he thinks premiers are expressing these concerns to the federal government and that the federal government is listening.

"We won't budget for it but I would say I'm optimistic," Wall said. "There will be some recognition that we need to go beyond that traditional calendar year."

A vigil will be held at Victoria Park in Regina at 6 p.m. CST Monday night. A gathering will also be happening at 6 p.m. Monday at Saskatoon's Market Square. There will also be another vigil at Saskatoon City Hall at 6 p.m. Tuesday night.