Montreal basilica did not chime bells to discourage praying Muslims
In the clip, participants accompanied by a Palestinian flag kneel and rise in a public square as loud church bells silence most of the other noise in the footage. Different versions of the claim that the video shows the iconic Montreal basilica deliberately drowning out the Muslim prayer also spread on Facebook, X and TikTok.
Image
Screenshot of an Instagram post taken July 29, 2025
Image
Screenshot of an X post taken July 29, 2025
The proportion of Muslims in the Canadian population more than doubled from 2001-2021 (archived here), creating tensions over how to accommodate requests to pray during the school or work day.
In December 2024, Quebec Premier François Legault said he wants to ban praying in public, commenting that he wanted to send a "message to Islamists."
The Canadian Muslim Forum said the threatened ban "unfairly targets Quebecers, especially those of Muslim faith, based solely on their backgrounds" (archived here).
Some rabbis criticized the proposal, while Catholic bishops in the province panned the move to restrict public expression of faith in a letter saying "praying is not dangerous" (archived here and here).
The posts claiming the Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal deliberately rang its bells to put a stop to the Muslim prayer in front of its establishment are inaccurate. A basilica spokesman told AFP the demonstration did not trigger the striking of the bells, which he said automatically chime every hour on the hour.
"The basilica is not involved in these gatherings, which are a legitimate exercise of freedom of expression in an emblematic public space of Montreal," the spokesman said in a July 29 email.
The Canadian Press reported one of the earliest versions of the clip uploaded to social media claimed the footage was taken on June 8 at around 6 pm (2200 GMT).
Six o'clock is the final hour the bells are struck each day, ending the schedule with a more complex flurry of rings, according to the basilica's website (archived here). Rather than a consistent chiming, the bells heard in the video circulating on social media are more frenetic.
The Canadian Press fact-check also noted a protest advertised by the advocacy group Montreal4Palestine took place on June 8 within walking distance of the church (archived here and here). AFP reached out to the organization for a comment but did not receive a response.
AFP previously fact-checked claims misrepresenting Muslim beliefs and engagement with pro-Palestinian advocacy in Canada.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
LeMonde
3 hours ago
- LeMonde
Trial begins for suspects in Moscow concert hall attack that killed 149
Nineteen people went on trial in Moscow on Monday, August 4 over an attack on a city concert hall that killed 149 people in one of the deadliest strikes in Russia. Armed men stormed the Crocus City Hall on the outskirts of Moscow on March 22, 2024, opening fire and then setting the building alight, injuring hundreds of people. The Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility. The four suspected attackers, all from Tajikistan – an ex-Soviet republic in central Asia – and another 15 people accused of being accomplices have gone on trial. An AFP reporter at the courtroom before saw some of the defendants in glass cages, their hands cuffed behind their backs. Around 30 survivors were also present. One of them, Tatiana Ruzanova, told AFP she came to the court to see the defendants. "They all sit quietly with their heads slumped in cages... I didn't see if they felt guilty, they all had their heads down," Ruzanova said. On the night of the attack, she came to the concert of the Russian rock group Piknik with a friend but did not make it inside the hall. "We saw everyone already in the foyer, maybe that saved us. We inhaled smoke. It was a miracle that we didn't make it," Ruzanova said. Closed-door trial Subsequent hearings are to take place on Tuesday and Thursday, according to the court's website. The judge ordered the trial to proceed behind closed doors. The attack shocked Russia, which has been battling Ukraine in a military offensive since February 24, 2022. Despite IS claiming responsibility, Russia implicated Ukraine in the attack, an allegation that Kyiv called baseless and absurd. The massacre ignited a debate about the reintroduction of the death penalty. Some hardline politicians publicly called for a moratorium, observed since 1996, to be lifted. It also sparked a wave of xenophobia against central Asian migrants in Russia. Nearly half of the victims were killed by smoke and carbon monoxide inhalation from the fire that broke out, rather than from gunshot wounds, the state TASS news agency reported on Sunday, citing case materials. Ekaterina Klimenko, who survived the attack, told AFP she hoped for a "fair decision" from the judges. "I still go to concerts, but intuitively I look around with my eyes to see if there is any danger," she said.
Euronews
4 hours ago
- Euronews
UN special representative to Cyprus departs with peace talks in limbo
The UN Secretary General's Special Representative for Cyprus on Monday had his last meeting with the President of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides. The Canadian Colin Stewart is retiring from his position as Special Representative. Upon his departure, he expressed his disappointment over the attitude of both the Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders in formal discussions on the Cyprus issue. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when a Greek-backed coup triggered a Turkish military intervention. The Republic of Cyprus which encompasses the southern two-thirds of the island, is internationally recognised and an EU member state, while the breakaway entity in northern Cyprus remains recognised only by Turkey. The UN has maintained a peacekeeping force in Cyprus since 1964. "A fundamental requirement is the will to find common ground, and that is different from trying to win or trying to impose your point of view," Stewart said. "One thing I found disappointing was how little they (the two sides) had in common, compared to the official views of the two sides." Stewart added that "people in Cyprus have a lot in common" and "don't have any problems with each other." He said that "millions of people a year" pass through the crossing points from north to south and vice versa, "but what is required is the will to find a solution that is mutually acceptable." Director of President Christodoulides' Press Office Victor Papadopoulos openly disagreed with Stewart's view, saying "I cannot say that we share such assessments. We are all bound by UN resolutions, and UN representatives are bound by UN and UN Security Council resolutions." "Everyone knows," he added, "that Ankara holds the 'key'." Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar says Stewart 'undermined' impartiality Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar lashed out at previous statements gave to local media, which he said was "incompatible with the impartiality of the UN's mission." The UN representative had told Cypriot newspaper Phileleftheros that "first of all, there are not many people in the north who take a two-state solution seriously." "There is no scenario under which the north will turn into an independent state recognised by the international community. That is not going to happen,' he continued. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has repeatedly promoted the idea, urging the international community to recognise the island's division. Tatar reacted by saying "The Turkish Cypriot side will remember [Stewart] as an official who, during his term, failed to fulfil his responsibility to increase trust between the two sides, undermined the perception of impartiality on some critical issues and, in particular, failed to show the necessary sensitivity to the legitimate humanitarian demands of our people." 'The Turkish Cypriot side has repeatedly and clearly demonstrated its will for a solution. This vision is shaped by the reality of two separate peoples, two separate democracies, and two separate states in Cyprus. A lasting and just solution in Cyprus is only possible by taking the current reality as a basis,' Tatar added. It is not yet known who will replace Colin Stewart in his now vacant role.
LeMonde
5 hours ago
- LeMonde
Macabre video of the last hostages held by Hamas shocks Israel
Hamas has once again sought to wound Israeli society, wielding its remaining weapon: the suffering of the last living Israeli hostages in Gaza. The scenes released Thursday and Friday by the group that carried out the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack were designed to shock, frighten and further fracture public opinion. The move succeeded, sparking horror – and at the risk of legitimizing the Israeli government's possible plan to expand ground operations into areas of the Palestinian enclave that have so far been less targeted. In the videos, Evyatar David, 24, one of the last 20 presumed living hostages in Hamas' custody − alongside the dead bodies of 29 others − was filmed by his captors. In the video, he is emaciated, with a gaunt face and pronounced bones, and describes the conditions in captivity. He was abducted while attending a music festival near Gaza. Later, his guards force him to dig a grave in the tunnel where he is being held. "I am digging my own grave, every day I am weaker," he says. Another hostage, Rom Braslavski, 22, also appeared in a state of exhaustion, in a particularly degrading video published by Islamic Jihad, a Hamas ally in Gaza. In the footage, he writhes in pain on the ground, explaining that he can no longer move.
