(CBC) Racha Cheaib, a particle physicist, often helps organize an annual event at a Muslim community centre in Montreal to celebrate girls who decide to wear the hijab.
Last year, far-right groups sought to disrupt the event, and twice succeeded in getting it relocated.
The social climate in Quebec, said Cheaib, hasn’t improved since then. Her preparations this year included requesting a police presence and avoiding all mention of the event on social media.
“Since the bill was tabled we noticed that there was a large surge of negativity,” Cheaib said during a recent interview at the bustling community centre in north-end Montreal.
She was referring to Bill 21, a proposed law that the centre-right Coalition Avenir Québec government is hoping to rush through the legislature before the summer break.
