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
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
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.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.