Walk of Solidarity planned in Windsor for Afzaal family
A Walk of Solidarity is planned in Windsor to honour the second anniversary of a family struck and killed in London, Ont.
The walk will take place on Tuesday to honour the four members of the Afzaal family, who were struck and killed by a man in a truck, in what police called a hate-motivated attack because they were Muslim.
Talat Afzaal, 74, her son Salman Afzaal, 46, his wife Madiha Salman, 44, and their 15-year-old daughter Yumnah Salman died. The only survivor was a nine-year-old member of the family, who suffered injuries.
The walk honours the family and all other victims of hate crimes as participants stand up against hate, bigotry, and islamophobia.
Aliya Samsair, of Islamic Relief Canada and walk organizer, in Windsor, Ont. on Monday, June 5, 2023. (Gary Archibald/CTV News Windsor)
"It's instilling in the future generations that we shouldn't have this type of hate, we shouldn't have this type of discrimination and hopefully build on a society that doesn't have those elements and it's not welcome,” said ,Aliya Samsair, who works with Islamic Relief Canada and is an organizer of the event.
“And - if it is present, it doesn't feel like it has a platform to stand on."
Nathaniel Veltman faces four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. His trial is set to proceed on September 5, 2023 in a Windsor courthouse.
Amna Masoodi, organizer for the Walk of Solidarity, tells AM800’s Dan MacDonald Show the tragedy had a huge impact on her and her life.
"It definitely made me more aware of all the micro-aggressions that we face day-to-day. It made me realize that these can amount to something a lot bigger, and that when we're walking around we have to be, unfortunately, very vigilant of our surroundings."
The walk "In Honour of Our London Family" starts at the Bert Weeks Memorial Garden at 7 p.m. on June 6.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
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.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
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.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
BREAKING Manitoba government tables bill to end ban on homegrown recreational cannabis
Manitoba is planning to lift its ban on the home growing of recreational cannabis.
All Alberta wildfires to date in 2024 believed to be human-caused: province
There are 63 wildfires burning in Alberta's forest protection area as of Wednesday morning and seven mutual aid fires, including one in the Municipal District of Peace.