On the eve of a candlelight vigil in memory of the Guinean student shot dead by Saguenay police officers last Tuesday, community leaders expressed concern that the event would discourage international students from choosing Quebec.
Posted at 7:21 p.m.
“What worries us is that many students are afraid and see this event as problematic,” fears Dominique Kpoghomou, Guineans in America representative to the National Transition Council, the West African country’s legislature.
On November 28, a man of Guinean origin studying at the University of Quebec in Chicoutimi died following an intervention by law enforcement. According to the Bureau of Independent Investigations (BEI), which is responsible for investigating this incident, the man – Mamadou Saliou Baldé, according to information from La Presse – approached the police armed with a knife.
One of the officers allegedly unsuccessfully attempted to use a Taser weapon to subdue the suspect. One of the police officers then opened fire on the attacker, who was pronounced dead on the scene.
Police were reportedly called to intervene after an argument broke out between Mr Saliou Baldé and one of his roommates. A video recorded by residents shows the operation and we can see the suspect shirtless despite the cold weather.
“Worrying”
At first glance, “the young man’s behavior seems reprehensible,” notes Mr. Kpoghomou. “But that there is no other solution than to kill the person? This is worrying and risks worrying international students. »
Criminal lawyer Pierre Brunelle also agrees. He was made aware of the incident.
Mr Kpoghomou claims to have been contacted by concerned parents since the incident. He hopes that Canada and Quebec will not lose popularity as “welcoming places” among students from his country and from West Africa.
A vigil in memory of Mamadou Saliou Baldé is planned for Saturday evening on Rue des Hospitalières in Chicoutimi, at the same place where he died. Marcellin Gbazai, organizer of the event, wants to reassure people in the “immigrant community”. “They are worried, they are afraid,” he said in an interview with Le Quotidien.