Page 8 - AT

A8 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 20 February 2019
7 Syrian refugee children die in Canadian house fire

Associated Press could remember in the East
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia (AP) Coast province.
— Seven children, all mem- “Words fail when children
bers of a Syrian refugee are taken from us too soon,
family, died early Tuesday especially in circumstances
in a fast-moving house fire like this,” Prime Minister Jus-
described as Nova Scotia’s tin Trudeau said in a tweet.
deadliest blaze in recent Danielle Burt, who lives next
memory. door to the family, said she
The father, Ebraheim Barho, heard a loud bang and a
was reported fighting for his woman screaming just af-
life after apparently trying ter 12:30 a.m. Tuesday.
in vain to save his children, Burt fled the house with her
who ranged in age from four children and saw the
about 3 months to the mid- parents outside in a har-
teens. The mother, Kawthar rowing scene.
Barho, also was hospital- “The mother was on the
ized with injuries but was grass, praying I guess, bow-
expected to survive. ing, her hands down, and
In an interview from the pulling on my husband’s
hospital, Imam Wael Haridy arm to call 911,” said Burt,
of the Nova Scotia Islamic her voice breaking. “She
Community Centre said said the kids were inside,
the Barhos had fled Syria’s Police and firefighters investigate following a house fire in the Spryfield community in Halifax, and the dad was sitting
civil war. Nova Scotia, Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019. on the steps. I think he had
“We’re here in hospital Associated Press gone back in because he
with a desperate mother The family was among Horne said the family ar- port services, such as Eng- was really burnt. It was just
who lost seven of her kids,” 1,795 Syrian refugees who rived on Sept. 29, 2017. She lish-language training. awful.”
Haridy said, adding: “She’s have come to Nova Scotia identified the children as But she said the family Rich Farrell, who lives down
saying to us, ‘Am I going to in recent years. Ahmad, 14; Rola, 12; Mo- missed the support of the the street, said he and
get my children back?’ ... News of the deadly fire was hamad, 9; Ola, 8; Hala, community in Elmsdale other neighbors ran to the
It’s so hard. It’s so sad.” a blow for the Canadians 3; Rana, 2; and Abdullah, and had been planning to house to try to help but the
He said officials were con- who sponsored them. born in November. move back in a few more flames spread too quickly.
ducting DNA tests to con- “Everyone is devastated, She said the family came days. Police said the cause “It’s so frightening, but in
firm the identities of the and our loss pales in com- from Raqqa, Syria, and of the fire remained under the space of 30 seconds it
dead children before they parison to the parents,” lived in Elmsdale, Nova investigation. went from what looked like
can proceed with a tra- said Natalie Horne, vice Scotia, for over a year be- Halifax Fire Deputy Chief a little bit of flame to the
ditional Islamic burial pro- president of the Hants East fore moving to Halifax to Dave Meldrum said it was whole thing just becoming
cess. Assisting Refugees Team. be closer to refugee sup- the deadliest fire anyone engulfed,” Farrell said.q

Thousands rally in France to oppose recent anti-Semitic acts

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN the defaced grave mark- death camps and a Euro-
SYLVIE CORBET ers. pean Parliament president
Associated Press “This looks like absurd stu- who died in 2017. The word
PARIS (AP) — Rallies against pidity,” the French leader “Juden” was painted on
anti-Semitism attracted said, looking visibly sad and the window of a bagel res-
crowds of thousands in concerned. taurant in Paris, and two
Paris and other French cit- Macron observed several trees planted at a memo-
ies Tuesday following a se- moments of silence in front rial honoring a young Jew-
ries of aggressive acts with of the vandalized graves ish man tortured to death in
Jewish targets, including a while local Jewish commu- 2006 were vandalized, one
cemetery where about 80 nity representatives stood cut down.
gravestones were spray- by. “We will take action,” Two youths were arrested
painted with swastikas he promised. Friday after they allegedly
overnight. France is home to the fired shots at a synagogue
In the French capital, for- world’s largest Jewish pop- with an air rifle in the Paris
mer presidents Francois Hol- A man wearing a yellow vest holds a placard reading “I am ulation outside Israel and suburb of Sarcelles, where
lande and Nicolas Sarkozy jew”, during a gathering at the Republique square to protest the United States. Among a large Jewish community
joined a rally led by Prime against anti-Semitism, in Paris, France, Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019. the incidents arousing lives. Sarcelles mayor Pat-
Minister Edouard Philippe Associated Press worries of renewed anti- rick Haddad told BFMTV
on Republic Plaza. el Macron went to the Sho- lic” is attacked, Macron Semitism was a torrent of on Tuesday that prosecu-
Political parties from across ah Memorial, a Holocaust said at a news conference hate speech directed at tors believe the motive was
the spectrum participat- museum in Paris, to observe in Paris. Jewish philosopher Alain anti-Semitism.
ed in the nationwide ral- a moment of silence with Hours before the rallies Finkielkraut during a Satur- According to sociologist
lies with the theme “That’s parliament leaders. started, Macron visited the day march by yellow vest Danny Trom, author of
enough”, although Marine “Every time a French per- vandalized Jewish cem- protesters. “France Without Jews,”
Le Pen’s far-right National son, because he or she is etery in Quatzenheim, a In recent incidents, swas- thousands of Jewish peo-
Rally party held a separate Jewish, is insulted, threat- small town in the northeast- tika graffiti was found on ple leave France every
event. ened — or worse, injured or ern Alsace region. He said street portraits of Simone year because of anti-
French President Emmanu- killed — the whole Repub- he felt shame at the sight of Veil — a survivor of Nazi Semitism.q