London, Ont., community members mark five years since deadly attack on Muslim family

Salman Afzaal, his wife Madiha Salman, their daughter Yumnah Afzaal and Afzaal’s 74-year-old mother Talat were killed June 6 as they were out for an evening stroll. Nine-year-old Fayez Afzaal survived. (File)

A southwestern Ontario community marked the five-year anniversary Saturday of a hate-motivated attack that took the lives of four members of a Muslim family.

Salman Afzaal, his wife Madiha Salman, their daughter Yumna and her grandmother Talat were killed on June 6, 2021, after a man hit them with his truck while they were out for a walk in a London, Ont., neighbourhood.

The couple’s son, who was nine years old at the time, was seriously hurt but survived, and the assailant was convicted of four counts of murder and one count of attempted murder in 2023.

The judge ruled the murders, committed by a self-described white nationalist, were an act of terrorism. The case marked the first time Canada’s terrorism laws were put before a jury in a first-degree murder trial.

Prime Minister Mark Carney commemorated the Afzaal family Saturday on the anniversary of the attack.

“As we honour their memory, we reaffirm our commitment to combatting Islamophobia and hate in all its forms – and to building a safer and more inclusive Canada,” he said in a social media post.

The Youth Coalition Combating Islamophobia organized several events to commemorate the anniversary, including a community march in London set to take place Saturday night.

Meanwhile, London police Chief Thai Truong said in a statement Friday that the anniversary is a time to honour the Afzaal family and grieve with the Muslim community.

He added that the consequences of hate “can be devastating and deadly.”

“There are moments in the history of a community that leave a mark that never goes away. This was one of those moments for London,” he said.

“We remember them not only for what was taken, but for what their memory continues to inspire in this city: unity, compassion, courage and a responsibility to stand up against hate in all its forms.”

The five-year anniversary comes as a national Muslim organization urges Ottawa to follow through on recommendations to address Islamophobia.

Speaking on Parliament Hill on Thursday, Khaled Al-Qazzaz, head of the Canadian Muslim Public Affairs Council, said the attack on the Afzaal family “exposed a reality” of Islamophobia faced by Muslim communities across the country.

“Despite years of studies, consultations and public commitments, Muslims in Canada continue to face discrimination, harassment, violence and unequal treatment,” said Al-Qazzaz, whose group has released a new report urging Ottawa to fight anti-Muslim hate.

“Islamophobia is not only expressed through individual acts of hatred but also through broader social and institutional structures that continue to harm and disenfranchise Muslim communities.”

The report urges the federal government to follow through on recommendations tabled by House and Senate committees to boost training on detecting and preventing discrimination, and calls for $40 million in federal funding to protect mosques and Muslim schools.

The group is also seeking policies that hold social media companies accountable for spreading and promoting hate online, noting that mass killings in Canada have been carried out by people exposed to extremist content.