A London police hate crime officer is investigating a hate-motivated assault that occurred over the weekend in a downtown park.
At roughly 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, a person was along with his household in Ivey Park, within the space of King and Thames streets, when an unknown man approached them, police mentioned. The suspect made derogatory feedback towards the person earlier than continuing to assault him.
In a social media submit, the Nationwide Council of Canadian Muslims mentioned it was “deeply horrified” to study the victims have been Muslim.
We’re conscious of what seems to be a hate crime in opposition to a Muslim household in London, Ontario. Preliminary experiences recommend that there was an assault.
We’re deeply horrified and saddened to study of this, and are in touch with the related events. Only some years in the past, a whole…
—@nccm
“They’re shaken up,” mentioned Nawaz Tahir, a London lawyer who serves as spokesperson for HIKMA Public Affairs Council, which has been in contact with a good friend of the household. “Typically, whenever you go to the park your aim is to have a very good time, and this simply type of shatters that.”
The Muslim neighborhood is seeing a rise in a compromise of its security and safety, mentioned Tahir, by each verbal and bodily types of hate, regardless of the Metropolis of London’s complete plan to dismantle Islamophobia.
“We would prefer to see extra motion on the provincial and federal stage,” he mentioned. “On each fronts, I believe the response has been missing. There are nonetheless so many suggestions from the nationwide summit that came about in 2021 which are but to be carried out. Issues like hate crime laws and the Our London Household Act not have been handed or introduced again in any respect.”
in June, police recognized a suspect concerned in an alleged hate-motivated arson at a Muslim household’s house in northwest London. It is believed the suspect has since left the nation.
On X, previously Twitter, London Mayor Josh Morgan condemned Saturday’s incident.
“Islamophobia has completely no house in London or anyplace else,” mentioned Morgan. “We should proceed to sentence these incidents, and work to make sure everybody feels secure in our metropolis.”
The suspect remained within the space for round 20 minutes earlier than leaving the park on a blue bike-style e-bike. Police have been contacted. The sufferer sustained minor accidents and didn’t require medical consideration.
The suspect has not been recognized. He’s described as male, white, round 40 years of age, carrying a black toque, black jacket, darkish denims and light-coloured sneakers.
Police are asking anybody with info to contact them.
