The New Zealand military detonated two unattended bags near an Auckland railway station Friday, as the country was put on high alert following a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/new-zealand-mosque-attack-40-killed-in-terror-attack-says-pm-jacinda-ardern-203472">deadly terror attack on two mosques</a>.

"A short time ago Defence Force personnel carried out a controlled explosion of the bags as a precautionary measure," police said in a statement.&nbsp;

"Police can confirm the bags were not suspicious and contained scaffolding equipment."

Attacks on two Christchurch mosques left at least 40 dead Friday, with one gunman – identified as an Australian extremist -- apparently livestreaming the assault that triggered the lockdown of the New Zealand city.

Witnesses spoke of victims being shot at close range, with women and children also believed to be among those killed.

"It is clear that this can now only be described as a terrorist attack," said Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, saying it marked "one of New Zealand's darkest days".&nbsp;

"From what we know, it does appear to have been well planned," she said, adding that in addition to the dead another 20 people were seriously injured.&nbsp;

The New Zealand military detonated two unattended bags near an Auckland railway station Friday, as the country was put on high alert following a deadly terror attack on two mosques.

The New Zealand military detonated two unattended bags near an Auckland railway station Friday, as the country was put on high alert following a deadly terror attack on two mosques. "A short time ago Defence Force personnel carried out a controlled explosion of the bags as a precautionary measure," police said in a statement. "Police can confirm the bags were not suspicious and contained scaffolding equipment." Attacks on two Christchurch mosques left at least 40 dead Friday, with one gunman – identified as an Australian extremist -- apparently livestreaming the assault that triggered the lockdown of the New Zealand city. Witnesses spoke of victims being shot at close range, with women and children also believed to be among those killed. "It is clear that this can now only be described as a terrorist attack," said Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, saying it marked "one of New Zealand's darkest days". "From what we know, it does appear to have been well planned," she said, adding that in addition to the dead another 20 people were seriously injured.

New Zealand military detonate unattended bags in Auckland 'as a precaution'

Several hundred people braved snow and cold Sunday in Quebec City to honour the six men shot to death a week earlier while praying at a local mosque.

&quot;No to Islamophobia, Yes to Peace,&quot; &quot;Open Your Heart&quot; and &quot;No to Terrorism&quot; were the messages on some of the signs and banners carried by marchers, many of them Muslim.

The victims included two Algerians, a Tunisian, a Moroccan and two Guineans, all holding Canadian citizenship as well.&nbsp;

They had been attending evening prayers at their mosque when a gunman stormed in and unleashed a barrage of bullets from a pistol and a semi-automatic rifle.

Eight other men were wounded -- three remain hospitalised -- in one of the worst attacks on the Muslim community of a Western nation.

The suspect, Alexandre Bissonnette, 27, surrendered to police and was charged with six murders and five attempted murders.

The march Sunday began not far from the mosque, at Laval University, where the presumed killer was a student, before proceeding to the national assembly of the French-speaking province.&nbsp;

In a display of solidarity, organisers paired Muslim and non-Muslim marchers for the procession.

Mohamed Yangi, president of the Islamic Cultural Center of Quebec, where the mosque was located, said the march provided an opportunity to show a &quot;unified&quot; Quebec.

He said he wanted to work with political leaders to help &quot;eliminate messages of hate.&quot;

Canadian politicians, led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, have denounced the words or acts of those who target Muslims.

On Friday, at the funeral of three victims, Trudeau blasted radio commentators and politicians who have fanned tensions.

(AFP)

The victims included two Algerians, a Tunisian, a Moroccan and two Guineans, all holding Canadian citizenship as well

Several hundred people braved snow and cold Sunday in Quebec City to honour the six men shot to death a week earlier while praying at a local mosque. "No to Islamophobia, Yes to Peace," "Open Your Heart" and "No to Terrorism" were the messages on some of the signs and banners carried by marchers, many of them Muslim. The victims included two Algerians, a Tunisian, a Moroccan and two Guineans, all holding Canadian citizenship as well. They had been attending evening prayers at their mosque when a gunman stormed in and unleashed a barrage of bullets from a pistol and a semi-automatic rifle. Eight other men were wounded -- three remain hospitalised -- in one of the worst attacks on the Muslim community of a Western nation. The suspect, Alexandre Bissonnette, 27, surrendered to police and was charged with six murders and five attempted murders. The march Sunday began not far from the mosque, at Laval University, where the presumed killer was a student, before proceeding to the national assembly of the French-speaking province. In a display of solidarity, organisers paired Muslim and non-Muslim marchers for the procession. Mohamed Yangi, president of the Islamic Cultural Center of Quebec, where the mosque was located, said the march provided an opportunity to show a "unified" Quebec. He said he wanted to work with political leaders to help "eliminate messages of hate." Canadian politicians, led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, have denounced the words or acts of those who target Muslims. On Friday, at the funeral of three victims, Trudeau blasted radio commentators and politicians who have fanned tensions. (AFP)

Hundreds march in Quebec City in tribute to mosque shooting victims

In the wake of Sunday&#39;s fatal attack on a mosque in Quebec City, attention is turning to the role of populist talk radio stations and their possible role in whipping up resentment against Muslims.

The day after the massacre at the Centre Culturel Islamique de Qu&eacute;bec, one local talk show host in Quebec City told his listeners several times that two hooded men shouting &quot;Allahu Akbar!&quot; had carried out the attack.

&quot;Is this Islamophobia or an Islamist attack?&quot; asked Sylvain Bouchard on station FM93. In fact, police that day charged a white Quebec man with six counts of premeditated murder and five counts of attempted murder with a restricted weapon for the attack. Members of Quebec&#39;s Muslim community suggest views expressed on what is known popularly as &quot;radio poubelle&quot; (garbage pail radio) may be encouraging extremist views in a province which has at times struggled to cope with immigration.

Quebec has seen a steady rise of right-wing groups, especially since a heated debate in 2007 about &quot;reasonable accommodation&quot;: how far the province should go to make immigrants feel welcome. The province last year unveiled draft legislation to ban face-coverings in the public sector in a move criticized as marginalizing Muslim women and potentially inflaming anti-immigrant tensions.

&quot;This unhealthy climate is fed by &#39;garbage pail radio&#39; where you can say anything and where the hosts vomit all over Muslims, Jews -- in short, everyone who isn&#39;t &#39;us&#39; but &#39;them,&quot; wrote Michele Ouimet, a columnist for the La Presse daily. Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard on Tuesday would not answer directly when asked by a reporter whether the radio stations were partly to blame.

But, he added: &quot;Words are important - written words, spoken words. People need to think carefully about that.&quot;

By Tuesday morning, Bouchard had radically changed his tune. &quot;Did I make a mistake? Yes,&quot; he said on air warning listeners to beware of unverified social media messages.

He also interviewed Quebec City Muslims, who called for acceptance in Quebec society, and Mathieu Fiset, a native-born Quebecer, who went from skin-head neo-Nazi to opponent of the alternative-right.

The far-right in Quebec

Several far-right groups are active in Quebec, with their activities increasingly expanding from online discussion to physical displays of protest. Soldiers of Odin, an anti-immigrant group founded in Finland in 2015, has a particularly visible presence in Quebec City, where it has regularly patrolled streets since early last year.

&quot;There is an underground culture of small far-right groups in Quebec,&quot; said Chedly Belkhodja, a professor of public affairs at Concordia University in Montreal. &quot;They feel their values are threatened by immigrants, by the mainstream political elites accepting more immigrants,&quot; he said.

Couillard admitted Quebec society was not perfect.

&quot;Racism, xenophobia and exclusion exist here. We have to recognise that and act together to highlight the path we want society to take,&quot; he said.

Francois Blais, the provincial government minister in charge of the Quebec region, admitted frankly that relations between locals and Muslim immigrants could be better.

&quot;I think native Quebecers in the region still don&#39;t know enough about this community...We are going to focus on organising activities to boost rapprochement,&quot; he told reporters.

(Reuters)

'This unhealthy climate is fed by 'garbage pail radio'... where the hosts vomit all over Muslims, Jews; In short, everyone who isn't 'us''

In the wake of Sunday's fatal attack on a mosque in Quebec City, attention is turning to the role of populist talk radio stations and their possible role in whipping up resentment against Muslims. The day after the massacre at the Centre Culturel Islamique de Québec, one local talk show host in Quebec City told his listeners several times that two hooded men shouting "Allahu Akbar!" had carried out the attack. "Is this Islamophobia or an Islamist attack?" asked Sylvain Bouchard on station FM93. In fact, police that day charged a white Quebec man with six counts of premeditated murder and five counts of attempted murder with a restricted weapon for the attack. Members of Quebec's Muslim community suggest views expressed on what is known popularly as "radio poubelle" (garbage pail radio) may be encouraging extremist views in a province which has at times struggled to cope with immigration. Quebec has seen a steady rise of right-wing groups, especially since a heated debate in 2007 about "reasonable accommodation": how far the province should go to make immigrants feel welcome. The province last year unveiled draft legislation to ban face-coverings in the public sector in a move criticized as marginalizing Muslim women and potentially inflaming anti-immigrant tensions. "This unhealthy climate is fed by 'garbage pail radio' where you can say anything and where the hosts vomit all over Muslims, Jews -- in short, everyone who isn't 'us' but 'them," wrote Michele Ouimet, a columnist for the La Presse daily. Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard on Tuesday would not answer directly when asked by a reporter whether the radio stations were partly to blame. But, he added: "Words are important - written words, spoken words. People need to think carefully about that." By Tuesday morning, Bouchard had radically changed his tune. "Did I make a mistake? Yes," he said on air warning listeners to beware of unverified social media messages. He also interviewed Quebec City Muslims, who called for acceptance in Quebec society, and Mathieu Fiset, a native-born Quebecer, who went from skin-head neo-Nazi to opponent of the alternative-right. The far-right in Quebec Several far-right groups are active in Quebec, with their activities increasingly expanding from online discussion to physical displays of protest. Soldiers of Odin, an anti-immigrant group founded in Finland in 2015, has a particularly visible presence in Quebec City, where it has regularly patrolled streets since early last year. "There is an underground culture of small far-right groups in Quebec," said Chedly Belkhodja, a professor of public affairs at Concordia University in Montreal. "They feel their values are threatened by immigrants, by the mainstream political elites accepting more immigrants," he said. Couillard admitted Quebec society was not perfect. "Racism, xenophobia and exclusion exist here. We have to recognise that and act together to highlight the path we want society to take," he said. Francois Blais, the provincial government minister in charge of the Quebec region, admitted frankly that relations between locals and Muslim immigrants could be better. "I think native Quebecers in the region still don't know enough about this community...We are going to focus on organising activities to boost rapprochement," he told reporters. (Reuters)

Talk radio, intolerance in focus as Quebec seeks answers after Mosque mass shooting

mosque-shooting

Mosque Shooting, News on Mosque Shooting, stories on Mosque Shooting, articles on Mosque Shooting, Mosque Shooting stories at Wion, Mosque Shooting news, Mosque Shooting latest news