'I don't feel safe': Pig carcass left outside south London, Ont., Halal grocery store

Pig carcass left outside Halal grocery store The owner of a Halal grocery store is upset after a pig carcass was left outside the store last weekend. CTV's Gerry Dewan explains.

A Muslim family who run a south London grocery store said they're anxious after a pig carcass was left outside their business.

Berries Market owner Husam Mohammed said the discovery was made by a customer and a staff member at approximately 10 a.m. on March 24.

The roasted pig was left along the front wall outside the store.

"I don't feel safe. My family doesn't feel safe, too. So it's really hard. It's really hard,” he told CTV News London.

The store caters primarily to the local Muslim population, but Mohammed said he appreciates that people of all faiths and cultures will shop there. The store features Halal products which conform to Islamic law, as consuming pork is forbidden.

What makes the discovery so ominous for Mohammed is that something similar happened prior to a January 2017 mass shooting at a Quebec City Mosque. That shooting claimed six lives and left others seriously injured.

"One day before they had a shooting they put a head of pork in front of the mosque,” he said.

Mohammed said he and his family moved from Montreal after that incident because of a growing sense of intolerance.

Then, in June of 2021, a London Muslim family was run down by a man who was later convicted of four counts of first-degree murder.

That act was determined to be a terrorist attack by a Superior Court justice.

Mohammed wants assurances that if an incident is motivated by racial or religious hate they are thoroughly investigated and have greater consequences.

"I would like governments to have rules against Islamophobia,” he said. “I count this as Islamophobia.”

The National Council of Canadian Muslims issued a statement on social media that said they are aware of the incident and are in touch with all parties, including authorities. They also encouraged all to refrain from speculation before investigations conclude and we know more about motivations.

Berries Market does have a surveillance camera that covers the front entrance, but the view does not extend to the location where the carcass was left.

Mohammed was told by police they will be looking for other surveillance video from the area in an effort to identify a suspect or suspects.