Thousands participate in multi-faith march against racism and Islamophobia in London, Ont.
On Friday, thousands of people marched from the scene of the horrific crash that killed four people on Hyde Park Road to the London Muslim Mosque, as the Multi-Faith March to End Racism and Islamophobia mourned the loss of four members of a Muslim family, murdered in an alleged hate-motivated attack.
Salman Afzaal, 46, his 74-year-old mother Talat Afzaal, 44-year-old wife Madiha Salman, and their 15-year-old daughter Yumna Salman were all killed Sunday in an attack police are calling premeditated.
Multi-faith March against racism and Islamophobia underway in London, Ont. on June 11, 2021. (Bryan Bicknell/CTV London)
Multi-Faith March to End Racism in London, Ont. on June 11, 2021. (Bryan Bicknell/CTV London)
Organizer Rev. Kevin George of St. Aidan's Anglican Church, said, "who among us didn't have their hearts broken this week?" as he asked the thousands in front of the London Muslim Mosque.
"We needed to fill these streets and let this community know love will overwhelm hate every day of the week," Rev. George added.
The massive crowd stopped at the mosque with a moment of silence at 8:40 p.m. to mark the moment when the Afzaal family was killed Sunday evening.
London lawyer and fellow Muslim, Faisal Joseph said he was grateful for the thousands that packed the route to denounce hatred and Islamophobia. "Tonight is our human family," he said. "I'm so, so proud to be a Londoner."
The event started shortly after 7 p.m. Friday. Marchers walked south from the scene of the collision on Hyde Park Road at South Carriage Road to Oxford Street to the mosque nearby where the suspect was arrested at Cherryhill Mall Sunday.
The funeral for the four family members will take place Saturday afternoon.
Nathaniel Veltman, 20, of London, is charged with four counts of first-degree murder in their deaths, and attempted murder in the case of nine-year-old Fayez Salman who is recovering in hospital. Veltman will appear in court Monday to answer to the charges.
Multi-Faith March to End Racism in London, Ont. on June 11, 2021. (Bryan Bicknell/CTV London)
Multi-Faith March to End Racism in London, Ont. on June 11, 2021. (Bryan Bicknell/CTV London)
- With files from CTV News London's Marek Sutherland
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Storm-battered U.S. South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life
Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the U.S. South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.
Broadcaster and commentator Rex Murphy dead at 77: National Post
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.