Justin Trudeau, Doug Ford, Jagmeet Singh and Erin O'Toole were among thousands who gathered at a London mosque to honour the four Muslim family members killed over the weekend. The youngest family member, age 9, is still in hospital after being struck by a pickup truck.
Ford, saying he was speaking "on behalf of a province left in mourning," called the attack “a senseless act of hatred and violence." Ford spoke of the feelings of many in the province, saying, "We are all shaken by this act, we are left trying to understand how this could happen in a beautiful country, and a beautiful province, like Ontario. We know only that this awful crime was motivated purely by hatred and racism."
Heartwarming. Thousands gather outside mosque in London, Ontario, #Canada for a vigil to mourn Muslim family killed in a hate crime attack.
— Joyce Karam (@Joyce_Karam) June 9, 2021
Broad solidarity, and Canadians coming together against Islamophobia: pic.twitter.com/BVTFZhT0r2
Trudeau also spoke where he echoed a similar sentiment, "Islamophobia is real. Racism is real. You should not have to face that hate in your communities, in your country, "Trudeau said. He added that "we can, and we will act. We can, and we will choose a better way."
Erin O’Toole said, "this entire community and this entire country stands with you as we come to grips with this attack," while Jagmeet Singh said visible minorities in Canada “will not cower in fear” in the face of hate. Green Party Leader Annamie Paul warned that while the pandemic has brought out the best in some people, "it has also brought out the worst in some people."
Nusaiba Al-Azem, second vice-chair of the London Muslim Mosque, opened the event by saying, "I've walked that trail that our London family walked on Sunday, and never got to finish," she said. "And just like many of my friends and family have expressed to each other, and on social media, it's not a matter that it could have been me. It was one of us."
The family has identified those killed as Salman Afzaal, 46, his 44-year-old wife Madiha Salman, their 15-year-old daughter Yumna Afzaal and Afzaal’s 74-year-old mother. Nathaniel Veltman, 20, of London, has been arrested and charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder in the attack.
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