Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
The Muslim community reacted in horror and shock at what police are investigating as a hate-motivated car attack in London, Ont., on Sunday evening that killed four family members and left a young boy injured.
Advocates also demanded justice and called for change that would put an end to what has been a string of hate crimes against Muslims in Canada.
“Our hearts are broken, our minds numb with pain,” community leader Nawaz Tahir told CTV News Channel.
“These were innocent human beings who were killed simply because they’re Muslim.”
Police say a 74-year-old woman, a 46-year-old man, a 44-year-old woman and a 15-year-old girl were allegedly struck and killed by a 20-year-old suspect, who is accused of driving a pickup truck into the family around 8:40 p.m. A nine-year-old boy survived and is in the hospital with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries.
"There is evidence that this was a planned, premeditated act and that the family was targeted because of their Muslim faith," said Det.-Insp. Paul Waight during the briefing.
“To be targeted in this way -- a grandmother, a mother, and father, and young daughter killed so senselessly. While the young boy, who is set to survive now, has lost his family. My hands have been shaking for much of the day since I’ve heard this news,” said Amira Elghawaby, a human rights advocate and founding board member of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, on Power Play.
“[It] really just continues to boggle the mind as to how hatred in our society can lead to such utter devastation.”
The city’s mayor, Ed Holder, described it as the worst mass killing London has ever seen.
“This wiped out three generations of family in one act … It’s horrific, senseless. And words don’t do it any justice,” Holder told Evan Solomon on Power Play.
The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) called it a terror attack in a statement.
“A man allegedly got in his car, saw a Muslim family walking down the street, and made the decision that they do not deserve to live. He did not know them. This is a terrorist attack on Canadian soil and should be treated as such,” said Mustafa Farooq, the chief executive of the association.
The attack is the latest in a string of anti-Muslim violence that has hit communities across Canada. On Jan. 29, 2017, a man opened fire inside a mosque in Quebec City, killing six worshipers and injuring five others. Last September, Mohamed-Aslim Zafis was stabbed to death from behind while seated outside a mosque in Toronto. And earlier this year, young Muslim girls and Black women were the target of several hate-motivated attacks and threats in Calgary and Edmonton.
“We simply cannot add another date. We must confront and stamp out Islamophobia and Islamophobic violence. Not tomorrow -- today. For the sake of our children, our families, our communities,” Tahir said.
Boufeldja Benabdallah, co-founder of the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City where the 2017 shooting took place, said it was a reminder that minorities must remain vigilant in Canada.
“This goes to show that hate is still present and that it’s disastrous.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed his support for those impacted by the tragedy and told the Muslim community that “this hate is insidious and despicable”, adding he would “continue to use every tool we have to combat Islamophobia.”
The NCCM documented 322 anti-Muslim incidents between 2013 and 2019 ranging from physical violence to online harassment.
“The sad reality … is no, it's not an isolated event,” said Elghawaby.
“In terms of violence against Canadian Muslims, incidents of vandalism, of harassment, unfortunately, there has been an ongoing pattern of that type of activity in our country, just as we know that racism and discrimination against other groups as well has been on the rise right now, even in the middle of a pandemic. In fact, when we see the pandemic, it's almost brought together a toxic brew.”
Conspiracy theorists and the far right have latched on to COVID-19 and created a great deal of distrust within the population, pushing forward divisive narratives that target different communities, Elghawaby said, adding that there is a growing call for better regulation around online hate.
“We are just seeing this type of division manifesting itself online in particular and spilling over in these tragic outcomes in real life.”
What made the incident particularly frightening for many was the detail that the family was apparently on a post-dinner walk -- an activity that has become especially familiar to many Canadians during the pandemic.
“A beautiful summer day, and they were run down by a car, by a man who appears to be filled with hate and vengeance,” said Omar Khamissa, manager of community engagement for the NCCM.
“This family will never be able to return home just because they went for a walk after dinner.”
London, Ont. is home to a large Muslim population with roots that can be traced as far back as 1890.
The London Muslim Mosque, built in 1964, is the first purpose-built mosque in Ontario, second in Canada, and third in North America, according to the London Free Press.
Khamissa said that change was urgently needed so that Muslim families can feel safe and practice their religion freely.
“This is a community that’s been here for years, that have helped build this city, that helped build the city from the ground up,” he said, noting some families have been here for 50 years.
“And they still have to be worried about that when they go for a walk with their family? It means that we have a lot of work still to do as a nation.”
If you need mental health help in the wake of the London, Ont. vehicle attack, support and resources are available here.
With a file from The Canadian Press
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.