As four lives ended and one life forever changed because of one man’s heinous act, thousands of people marched through the streets of London, Ontario on Friday evening at 7 pm in a multi-faith rally to honor the victims killed in an anti-Muslim attack earlier this week and call for the end of racism and Islamophobia.
It is the same area where three generation of a family, Salman Afzaal (46), his wife Madiha Salman (44), their daughter Yumna Salman (15), their son Fayez Salman (9), and Afzaal’s mother Talat Afzaal (74), who were out for an evening walk, and run down by 20-year-old Nathaniel Veltman’s pickup truck on Sunday evening. As a result, all have died eventually, except for the little boy.
The driver of the truck is now facing four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder, for which London police had said the family was intentionally targeted because they were Muslims. Police would not specify why they believe the attack was hate motivated but said they gathered evidence “from a variety of sources.” And the attack echoed across Canada, with many calling political leaders to act and end Islamophobia.
Prior to the march in the afternoon, an employee of the Thames Valley District School Board, Akram Kaiyan (in the pic below, on the right) came to the location and said to this reporter: “this is a heartbreaking incident” and he hopes the event will send a message that love will always overcome hate as well as “not talk, but action towards reforming social policies and law can bring a positive change in Canada, the country we love”.
Similarly, introduced as Bryan, an Educational Assistant at Oakridge Secondary School where Yumna Salman attended, came with his two little daughters with a flower bouquet and said, “We’re here to pay our respects and honor the family”, while the Canadian flag was flying at half-mast at the Oakridge Mall nearby. However, people chanted and carried signs that read, “We Stand with #OurLondonFamily” and “We pray for our London family” as they made their way to 7 kilometers distant to London Muslim Mosque, where the march concluded.
At the mosque, Imam Abd Alfatah Twakkal said the community is still in pain, but the overwhelming support they have received in the past few days has made a difference in helping the pain heal. “This is really a beginning for us in terms of the long road ahead and the work that needs to be done to be able to end the various forms of hatred that still exist within our communities,” he said.
Besides, a moment of silence was observed and faith leaders spoke to the crowd, urging them to keep the fight against racism and Islamophobia. There were also vigils held across the Greater Toronto Area Friday evening in solidarity with the family.
Pics by Muhammad Ali Bukhari
