‘We are here for you,’ Trudeau tells Muslims in London after police report fatal hate crime
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Video: Police say London vehicle attack victims ‘targeted because of their Islamic faith’ (Global News)
Police say London vehicle attack victims ‘targeted because of their Islamic faith’
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Muslims in London, Ont. and across the country today that his government stands with them after four members of a Muslim family there were killed in what police described as a targeted hate crime.
“This hate is insidious and despicable — and it must stop,” Trudeau said Monday evening in a social media post. “I’m horrified by the news from London, Ontario.
“To the loved ones of those who were terrorized by yesterday’s act of hatred, we are here for you. We are also here for the child who remains in hospital — our hearts go out to you, and you will be in our thoughts as you recover.”
London Police Service Det.-Insp. Paul Waight told reporters earlier today that 20-year-old Nathaniel Veltman — who is already facing four counts of murder and one count of attempted murder following a vehicular hit-and-run on Sunday evening — could also face terrorism charges.
“There is evidence that this was a planned, premeditated act and that the family was targeted because of their Muslim faith,” said Waight.
Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole said the killings were “horrific and heart-breaking” and extended his “deepest condolences during this unimaginably difficult time.”
“An Islamophobic act of terror like this has no place in Canada,” O’Toole said on Twitter.
“We stand with the Muslim community and reaffirm our commitment to build a country that is free from hatred, where Canadians of all faiths can live without fear of violence or persecution.”
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh told CBC News Network’s Power & Politics that the radicalization of individuals by far right hate groups now poses a significant threat to Canada and Canadians.
“It is unimaginable. The act of killing an entire family, the way that this hate crime is rocking our entire country,” he told guest host David Common.
“To think about the chilling and heartless and vicious killing of an entire family by an act of hate like that really shakes everyone’s sense of safety and security.”
Green Party Leader Annamie Paul, who has scheduled a press conference for 11 a.m. Tuesday to address the issue, took to Twitter to tell her followers that she is grieving alongside those touched by the tragedy.
“Hate cannot win, and every person in Canada must feel safe in their identity,” she said.
The names of the victims aren’t being released at this time, at the request of family members.
The family members who died are:
a 74-year-old woman.
a 46-year-old man.
a 44-year-old woman.
a 15-year-old girl.
A nine-year-old boy remains in hospital with serious injuries.
Police say that at 8:40 p.m. ET, the family was walking along Hyde Park Road and were waiting to cross an intersection in northwest London when a truck mounted the curb and struck them.
You can watch full episodes of Power & Politics on CBC Gem, the CBC’s streaming service.