CUHRS and CUFSA Statement on the Lapu-Lapu Day Festival Massacre 

We, the members of the Carleton University Human Rights Society and the Carleton University Filipino Students’ Association, express our deepest sorrow and solidarity following the horrific attack at the Lapu-Lapu Day festival in Vancouver on April 26, 2025.

This senseless act of violence, which stole the lives of eleven individuals, including a five-year-old child, and injured dozens more, has devastated the Filipino community, as well as all communities committed to peace, multiculturalism, and human dignity. What was meant to be a joyful celebration of Filipino heritage, resilience, and resistance – the legacy of Lapu-Lapu, who fought against colonial oppression – was instead mutilated by this unspeakable tragedy.

We stand firmly with the victims, their families, and the wider Filipino community across Canada and the world. No community should ever fear gathering to celebrate their culture, their history, or their identity. The attack on the Lapu-Lapu festival is not just an attack on individuals. It is an attack on the fundamental human right to live, celebrate, and belong without fear.

As organizations committed to upholding human rights, cultural solidarity, and justice, we will not allow acts of violence to overshadow the strength and pride of the Filipino community. In this time of profound grief, we must reaffirm our collective resistance to hatred, fear, and marginalization. We must remain committed to building spaces where all cultures are respected, celebrated, and protected.

To our Filipino siblings: we see you, we mourn with you, and we will stand with you, not only in this moment of grief but in the continued fight for a world where such tragedies never happen again.

“Habang may buhay, may pag-asa.”

“As long as there is life, there lies hope.”