Canadians flock to Parliament Hill, site of attack on soldier

Monday, 27 October 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Reuters: Canadians returned to the reopened grounds of their parliament building on Saturday, three days after a homegrown radical rushed in armed with a rifle after killing a soldier in the second domestic attack in a week on the country’s military.

A man writes in books of condolences to fallen Canadian soldiers, Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent and Corporal Nathan Cirillo, during a vigil in Montreal – REUTERS The grounds of the hilltop gothic building, whose clock tower is a centerpiece of Ottawa’s skyline, attracted scores of visitors, many still stunned by Wednesday’s attack, which took place as Prime Minister Stephen Harper was meeting with lawmakers. The attacks on Monday and Wednesday were the work of Canadian citizens, reportedly recent converts to Islam, who appear to have operated independently, police said. The first victim, 53-year-old Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent, died when a man ran him over with a car in Quebec, while the second, 24-year-old Corporal Nathan Cirillo, was gunned down while standing a ceremonial watch at a monument to Canada’s war dead near Parliament Hill. Police presence was light at the grounds, which had been closed to the public since Wednesday. The parliament building itself remained closed, but House Speaker Andrew Scheer said it would reopen for tours and visits on Monday. “The very fact of us being here on this spot means they did not win,” said 41-year-old Toronto teacher Franco Ferrari, who had brought his son and his sons friends to Ottawa on Thursday night. “I wanted them to see this,” Ferrari said. “I wanted to show them that we will not be bullied.” National Hockey League teams in Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto held coordinated tributes to the two soldiers during their home games on Saturday night. The Ottawa Senators, who were hosting the New Jersey Devils, formed a circle at center ice with players from both teams joining in a show of unity as armed forces personnel and first responders marched into the center of their circle bearing a Canadian and a U.S. flag. Canada did not share some intelligence with the United States about the two men who launched the attacks because of a 2013 court ruling limiting the transfer of personal data, a Canadian official said on Saturday. The United States and Canada share the world’s largest undefended border and for decades have also exchanged information about people deemed to be high risks.