Montreal Maghrebi Community Raises Alarm Over Youth Gang Recruitment

Parents and community leaders demand action as organized crime targets young teens for criminal activities.

Members of Montreal’s Maghrebi community gathered in a city park to address the increasing recruitment of youth by street gangs.
Hadjira Belkacem, event organizer, urged parents to unite and pressure authorities to investigate how children are being drawn into gangs.
The gathering follows several recent incidents, including the death of a 14-year-old Algerian boy found near a Hells Angels-linked bunker.
Quebec’s Public Security Minister François Bonnardel condemned the recruitment of children by gangs, calling it 'vile' and 'shocking.'
Belkacem highlighted that youth as young as 12 are being coerced into criminal activities, with numerous families seeking help for their children.