By Lasia Kretzel

Canadians gather to support fallen soldiers

Oct 26, 2014 | 9:25 AM

One day after a fallen Canadian soldier was laid to rest; Saskatoon’s city hall cenotaph was bustling as several communities voiced their support and sympathy for the two military men who were murdered in the past week.
 
In the morning, roughly 20 members of Saskatoon’s military and motorcycle communities gathered to pay their respects to Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, who was shot while on ceremonial guard duty at the National War Memorial in Ottawa Wednesday, and Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent who died in a hit-and-run attack on Oct. 20. 

For nearly half an hour, the group stood in solemn remembrance to show their respects for the two men. 

Members of the Bikers Against Child Abuse passed a coin around, symbolically putting their love and thoughts into the tiny piece of metal before placing it at the foot of the cenotaph among a growing collection of flowers, candles and cards. 

The informal ceremony was organized by the Canadian Army Veteran Motorcycle Unit. 

“I came down here because it’s about honour, and having been in the military for 13 years and Afghanistan, I thought it was the best thing I could do,” Dean Freilinger said. 

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His sentiments were echoed by others like retired reservist Greg Choquette, who said he came to remember service members both past and present. His brother, a recent retiree of the Canadian military, was friends with Vincent. 

Then in the afternoon, the same spot was filled with members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community who came to show support for the fallen soldiers and stand in solidarity with Canadians to condemn the attacks in Canada and abroad.

“Muslims are affected doubly because our beloved country is attacked, and at the same time our beloved religion has been hijacked by these terrorists,” Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at president Nasser Malik said. “Terrorists in my opinion have no religion because they are acting against humanity.”

Around 150 Muslims adorned red and white robes, coats, head scarves and dresses sang the national anthem to show their patriotism. Their signs read “terrorists hijacked my religion,” “long live Canada” and “Rest in Peace Vincent.”

Naiela Anwar, 16, was one of many youth who came to show their support. She said it is heartbreaking to see her faith used to justify killing.

“I want to show our motto is love for all hatred for none and we truly believe that and standing here today I believe is the most peaceful way to show our support,” Anwar said. 

Malik said the community’s religious leaders are talking about the dangers of radicalization, and encourage everyone to watch out for one another. He stressed however that radicalization does not happen overnight, and he believes it is also often accompanied by mental, drug or family issues.

Service members have been asked to refrain from showcasing their military attachments, including not wearing uniforms when off duty, and removing mentions of military involvement on social media or from personal belongings.

Choquette doesn’t think that will stop any potential threat because of the plethora of behavioural mannerisms of military members. 

Despite the recent attacks, both Malik and Anwar said they still feel Canada is a safe country, particularly for Muslims seeking shelter from persecution. 

Meanwhile Choquette and the others at the morning ceremony agreed that the two deaths should not change Canadians.

“People don’t realize that we are not going to cower under a rock and let you change our way of life. We’re going to stand up and say no, this is who we are,” Choquette said.

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