NDP marks one year since the Capitol Hill riot

NDP critic for foreign affairs, Heather McPherson made the following statement:

"Today marks one year since the Capitol Hill riot. As the world watched in horror, security personnel, members of Congress, and staff were terrorized and threatened with violence, and five people lost their lives. This terrorist attack was an assault on democracy fueled by deep hatred and extremism.

Violence has no place in our communities. Extremists who want to undo our democratic systems threaten the very fabric of our society. No one can call themselves a leader while inciting this kind of horrifying behaviour.

With everything that the world has gone through these past two years, we need to come together with our neighbours now more than ever before.

New Democrats are committed to combatting the hate that many Canadians face on a daily basis. Following last year’s attack, we called for the Proud Boys to be designated as a terrorist organization so they couldn’t carry out the same attack here. Parliament agreed unanimously. But there is still work to be done to continue the fight against hate while right-wing extremist groups continue to grow. We have seen a rise in hate crimes in Canada too. That’s why we have been calling on the Liberals to do more to tackle online hate and right-wing extremism.

New Democrats will always do our part to ensure this kind of senseless violence doesn’t happen here in Canada."