Canada: A family persecuted in a serious attack on Muslims, police say Islamophobia News

Police in Ontario’s Canadian province said a driver was deliberately hit because a family was Muslim, killing four people and seriously injuring a nine-year-old boy because of “unheard of hate action” and Islamophobia.

The victims, all from the same family, were beaten on Sunday afternoon as they crossed a street in the city of London, about 200km southwest of Toronto, Canadian news reported on Monday.

Police said the victims were two women aged 77 and 44, a 46-year-old man and a 15-year-old girl. A nine-year-old boy was also seriously injured and is being treated at the hospital. Local authorities did not release the names of the victims.

“There is evidence that the hatred was planned and premeditated. It is believed that these victims were Muslims,” ​​Paul Waight, superintendent of the London Police Service, told a news conference. reported Made by CityNews.

The attack has been linked to concerns about Islamophobic attacks in provinces across Canada and calls on the authorities to address racism, hate-motivated violence and the prevalence of far-right groups.

The news from London (Ontario) terrifies me. Dear ones who were terrified by yesterday’s act of hatred, we are here for you. We are also here looking for the child who is still in the hospital. Hearts will go to you and while you are healed you will be in our thoughts.

– Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) June 7, 2021

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was “horrified” by what he described as an “act of hatred” and said his thinking was that of beloved victims, including a young boy who survived.

“To the Muslim community in London and to Muslims across the country, know that we are with you. Islamophobia has no place in our communities. That hatred is insidious and reprehensible – and it needs to be stopped, ”Trudeau tweeted.

A 20-year-old suspect identified as Nathaniel Veltman has been arrested, city police said statement earlier on Monday. Global News reported that he was charged with four counts of first-degree murder and attempted murder.

“There is no known previous connection between the suspect and the victims,” Waight said.

‘It will be a deep sadness’

Qazi Khalil, a family friend, was last seen on Thursday by The Canadian Press news agency. “That completely destroyed me from the inside out,” Khalil said. “I can’t really get to the conditions that were already here.”

The National Council of Muslims in Canada, the national defense group, said the attack was “beyond terror”.

“It’s an attack on Canadian soil, and it needs to be treated that way. We call on the government to denounce the attacker in accordance with the law, as well as to consider terrorism charges, ”Mustafa Farooq, the group’s chief executive, said in a statement on Monday.

“The loss of a family, the loss of a child in our community due to Islamophobia – a deep sorrow for a long time. But let that sorrow be the land where we stand for justice and for change.”

Statistics Canada he said in March, hate crimes reported by Muslim police increased “slightly” until there were 181 incidents in 2019 – data available for the last year. There were 166 incidents in the previous year.

In recent months, Muslim women in the province of Alberta have been subjected to various incidents of oral and physical abuse.

In September, 58-year-old Mohamed-Aslim Zafis was stabbed outside a mosque in the far west of Toronto where he worked as a caretaker. This prompted the authorities to take the threat extreme right-wing violence more serious and in an investigative manner being motivated by hatred.

Muslim communities in Canada are also growing January 2017 mass shooting In a mosque in Quebec City, he killed six Muslim men and wounded several others.

Three days of mourning

London Mayor Ed Holder said he had ordered the lowering of the flags outside the town hall for three days of mourning. “Let me be clear: this was an act of mass murder, against Muslims – against Londoners – and based on an unspeakable hatred,” Holder said in a statement.

“This unspeakable act of hatred, this act of Islamophobia, [sic] acts of compassion, acts of kindness, acts of empathy, acts of solidarity – justice – and, above all, love must be shown ”.

Ontario Prime Minister Doug Ford also tweeted his condolences on Monday. “Hatred and Islamophobia have NO place in Ontario. Justice must be served for the heinous act of hatred that took place yesterday in London, Ontario, ”he wrote.

BREAKING: The National Council of Muslims of Canada (NCCM) is terrified and demands justice after a horrific car attack caused by hatred against Muslim families in London (Ontario) who went out for a walk on Sunday afternoon. pic.twitter.com/o1wXqjpnRb

– NCCM (@nccm) June 7, 2021

Harjit Sajjan, Canada’s national defense minister, said he was “devastated to learn of four Muslim-Canadians killed in a reprehensible Islamophobic attack in London, Ontario.”

“Three generations of a family went away in an instant. This widespread hatred is very common in our country. We need to come together to end hatred in all its forms. “

Jagmeet Singh, the leader of the opposition New Democratic Party (NDP), also condemned the attack. “They were killed for their faith,” Singh wrote on Twitter. “We need to be with our Muslim family, friends and neighbors more than ever against such a vicious hatred. ”