Lights to go out on Eiffel Tower in Paris to honour Quebec City terror attack victims
The international community is denouncing a terrorist attack at a mosque in Quebec City last night that killed at least six people and wounded eight others.
In a tweet today, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said that the lights on the Eiffel Tower will be turned off as a gesture of solidarity to Canadians and Quebecers. The lights will be extinguished after midnight in a city that has been no stranger to such attacks in recent years.
Tonight, at midnight, @LaTourEiffel will be extinguished in order to send a fraternal message to people of #Quebec and Canadians
— Anne Hidalgo (@Anne_Hidalgo) January 30, 2017
I will turn my lights off tonight, at midnight, to show my support to Quebec and Canadian people. #EiffelTower pic.twitter.com/Tf3VCOjcjh
— La tour Eiffel (@LaTourEiffel) January 30, 2017
French President Francois Hollande called the incident an “odious attack” in a tweet. In a separate official statement, he said “it was the Quebecois spirit of peace and openness that the terrorists wanted to harm,” adding that “France stands at the sides of the victims and their families.”
Je dénonce avec la plus grande fermeté l’odieux attentat qui a fait au moins six morts et de nombreux blessés dans une mosquée à Québec.
— François Hollande (@fhollande) January 30, 2017
Over in Toronto, the lights at City Hall in downtown will also be switched off in solidarity, according to a tweet by City Councillor Norm Kelly.
Toronto City Hall will go dark tonight to honour victims of the Quebec terror attack. pic.twitter.com/K2aeUBPYK0
— Norm Kelly (@norm) January 30, 2017
Vigils are planned today in Quebec City, Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, and other Canadian cities.