The Montreal City Council approved yesterday, Monday, a declaration to encourage youth participation in the city's democratic life. The declaration also directly condemned the statements made by the mayor of the Anjou district, Louis Miranda, toward the 15-year-old youth, Hussein Wendi, who attended the district council session held earlier this month to inquire about the closure of soccer fields for free play. It was proposed by Valérie Plante, the mayor of Montreal, in a speech about the importance of civic participation for youth, saying: "We want to hear the youth, we do not want them to be silent. We need to listen to them, to see what is in their hearts. It is then up to us to be able to manage the discussion well." However, she also denounced Louis Miranda's behavior and its impact on the reputation of elected officials. She again asked the mayor of Anjou to apologize to the youth and his family, stating: "I won’t surprise you when you hear me ask today in this chamber Mr. Miranda to truly apologize to young Hussein Wendi and his family, because citizen participation is essential to democratic life in Montreal." For the record, on October 4, the young man, who had just turned 16, asked the district mayor to reverse his decision to close the soccer fields during free play periods. At that time, Mayor Miranda said he made this decision due to the unruly behavior exhibited by the youth. He noted that he does not face "this problem with other sports like hockey and baseball." Therefore, many considered these statements discriminatory against immigrant youth and children of immigrants who play soccer. Also, when the mayor learned that Hussein Wendi was a 15-year-old teenager, he said: "First and foremost, when I was fifteen, I was not like you to confront the mayor. I don’t know why you are here, your mother or father should have been [...] At fifteen, I would not have spoken to him." This response shocked many. In response to the accusations directed at him, Louis Miranda spoke yesterday, Monday, during the city council session and apologized "for his reaction." However, he clarified that he does not regret closing the soccer fields. He said: "I had to do something to reassure the residents." He pointed out that the situation deteriorated to the extent that "the elderly were afraid to go to Gouncourt Park because of the youth present there." Nevertheless, Mr. Miranda voted in favor of the declaration to encourage youth participation in Montreal's democratic life. Likewise, the other 57 elected officials present at the city council on Monday afternoon did the same. In a call with Radio Canada International, the young Hussein Wendi thanked "all the people in the city council who supported me, especially Mayor Valérie Plante." He explained that Mayor Miranda’s apology was insincere: "He said that [apology] quickly without conviction, just to calm things down because of what is happening around this issue." His father, Ismail Wendi, believes the same: "This is not an apology. He apologizes and then ends up associating our children with problematic behavior. He gives the impression that delinquents control the neighborhood we live in. And this is completely wrong." Also, Radio Canada tried to speak with the chief official of the Anjou district. The mayor’s secretary said Louis Miranda refuses interview requests.