There was a sense of closure, but also a renewed call for action against Islamophobia Thursday evening as hundreds of Londoners gathered to remember the Afzaal family.
The vigil marked the third anniversary since the attack at Hyde Park and South Carriage roads in northwest London that killed Talat Afzaal, 74, her son Salman Afzaal, 46, his wife Madiha Salman, 44, and their daughter Yumnah, 15.
Advertisement 2
Article content
The London Muslim family was out for an evening walk on June 6, 2021, when they were struck and killed by the driver of a pickup truck. The family’s young son was injured.
It was the first vigil since the man responsible, Londoner Nathaniel Veltman, was convicted of four counts of first degree murder and one count of attempted murder and sentenced to 25 years in prison. The judge who sentenced him Feb. 22 referred to his attack as a “textbook” case of terrorism intended to threaten the sense of safety and security of all Muslims.
The vigil took place at a mobile stage set up at the Our London Family memorial at the intersection where the family was killed, and included more than a hour of speeches, a moment of silence, and a prayer to conclude.
Selma Tobah, a mentor with the organizing group Youth Coalition Combatting Islamophobia, said that the date always is a “difficult anniversary,” but that the conviction “goes a long way” in bringing justice forward.
“It’s a really important acknowledgment that he intended to intimidate the Muslim community in Canada, that it was an act of violence that was done to really drive a message,” she said. “I think the naming it as terrorism legally really is an acknowledgment of the community of that hurt and the depth of that pain.”
Noon News Roundup
Article content
Advertisement 3
Article content
The youth coalition, founded by a friend of Yumnah, has worked with the city each year to help organize the commemoration. The organization’s goal is to empower youth to help end Islamophobia.
Hooriya Ansari, another member of the coalition, said that while it was “amazing” to have Londoners stand behind London’s Muslim community in the wake of the attack, the group has now shifted to raise awareness of Islamophobia again as the conflict in the Middle East rages on.
“I’d say especially this past year, we’ve seen an increase in Islamophobia,” she said. “So that has been something that our group is trying to combat obviously, but there is the shared responsibility on everyone to do their part and educate themselves along with the people around them.”
The war between Israel and Hamas, and the instances of hate it has spawned locally was a consistent theme among speakers. London police statistics last month showed that hate crimes jumped nearly 40 per cent last year, with the Muslim community being the third most targeted group.
London lawyer Nawaz Tahir called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier Doug Ford to “honour the family,” referring to unfulfilled federal and provincial recommendations by a National Summit on Islamophobia, convened after the deaths of the Afzaals.
Advertisement 4
Article content
Also in attendance was Amira Elghawaby, Canada’s special representative on combatting Islamophobia. She said its been difficult to measure progress locally and nationally, as “toxic” narratives continue to exist online about the Muslim community.
However, she said London continues to inspire hope, applauding the announcement of an anti-Islamophobia plan by the Thames Valley District School board earlier Thursday, the second school board in Canada to create a plan.
“I think that’s the message we want to carry, that we can move forward, we can work to create legacies of change,” Elghawaby said. “We can find hope, we can stand together with fellow Londoners and fellow Canadians to ensure that we protect the values of social cohesion and equity that we all believe in so deeply.”
Recommended from Editorial
Article content
