Vigil planned in Winnipeg for victims of deadly London, Ont. vehicle attack
A vigil is being planned in Winnipeg for the four family members who were killed in a vehicle attack in London, Ont. over the weekend.
The Islamic Social Services Association is planning a drive-in vigil at the Grand Mosque in Winnipeg on Thursday evening. Those attending are asked to remain in their vehicles.
The vigil comes days after four members of the Afzaal were killed on Sunday in what Ontario police said was an attack targeting them over their Muslim faith.
"Like everybody else and every other Canadian, we were shocked and unfortunately not surprised," said Shahina Siddiqui, the executive director of the Islamic Social Services Association.
"This is hatred – and this hatred and Islamophobia have been festering for such a long time. We've been calling it out, we’ve been talking about, we've been saying if we don't do something fast it was escalating."
Siddiqui pointed to previous attacks in Canada, including a shooting at a mosque in Quebec that killed six Muslim men and wounded five others in 2017, and the fatal stabbing of 58-year-old Mohamed-Aslim Zafis outside a Toronto mosque in September 2020.
"Now this – that is why I say it does not come as a surprise to me," Siddiqui said.
Nathaniel Veltman, a 20-year-old man from London, Ont., is facing four counts of first-degree murder, and one count of attempted murder in connection to the vehicle attack. The charges have not been proven in court.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the killings a terrorist attack, but Siddiqui said more needs to be done to address hatred and Islamophobia.
"We give a lot of lip service to racism and hatred and other things, but we don't see any concrete actions, we don't see any education which I think is the key to this," she said.
"We have 300 plus groups – right-wing extremists – that operate on social media with impunity."
She said the Muslim community is feeling the impacts of the attack across the country.
"The fear – that is 'are we safe?' – that is the main question that is being asked. There is concern about women who are visibly Muslim, leaving their homes going about their business," she said.
"There is fear, there is grief, there is mourning, there is pain, there is anguish."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Gangs netting up to US$3 trillion a year as Southeast Asia human trafficking becomes a global crisis, Interpol says
Human trafficking-fuelled fraud is exploding in Southeast Asia with organized crime rings raking in close to US$3 trillion in illicit revenue annually, the head of Interpol has said in comments that reveal the huge profits being earned by cartels.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
A dog and a bird formed an unlikely friendship. Their separation has infuriated followers
Peggy is a stout and muscular Staffordshire bull terrier, and Molly is a magpie, an Australian bird best known for swooping on humans during breeding season, not for befriending dogs. But in an emotional video posted online, Peggy’s owners announced that the animals had been separated.
Statistics Canada reports real GDP up 0.6% in January as Quebec strikes end
Statistics Canada says real gross domestic product grew 0.6 per cent in January, helped by the end of public sector strikes in Quebec in November and December.
Ukrainian child asylum seekers in St. John’s get class of their own
Roughly 50 children will gathered in a St. John’s classroom for the first time on Saturday for unique lessons on Ukrainian language, culture and history.