By Amy Chen, Vancouver



Canadian government berated Fox News today for falsely tweeting to more than 13 million Twitter followers that the mosque attack in Quebec Monday that killed six worshippers and critically wounded five others had been carried out by a person “of Moroccan origin,” even after the RCMP confirmed that the sole suspect was Alexandre Bissonnette, 27, a far-right extremist inspired by United States President Donald Trump and France’s extreme right leader Marine Le Pen.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s communication director Kate Purchase asked Fox to remove the “false and misleading” tweet in a strongly worded email.

“Canada is an open, welcoming country that stands by its citizens,” Purchase said. “We are a nation of millions of immigrants and refugees, of hundreds of cultures, languages, and religions bound by one, unwavering, unshakable belief: we are stronger not in spite of our differences, but because of them.”

“These tweets by Fox News dishonour the memory of the six victims and their families by spreading misinformation, playing identity politics, and perpetuating fear and division within our communities,” she pointed out. “We need to remain focused on keeping our communities safe and united instead of trying to build walls and scapegoat communities. Muslims are predominantly the greatest victims of terrorist acts around the world. To paint terrorists with a broad brush that extends to all Muslims is not just ignorant — it is irresponsible.”

Fox News deleted the tweet within hours of receiving the email, and Purchase thanked the media outlet for doing so.

Thank you @FoxNews for deleting the tweet. We appreciate it. — Kate Purchase (@katepurchase) 1 February 2017

Katie Purchase’s statement in full: