Community reflects on 4 years since Afzaal family killed

Londoners are marking four years since a hate-motivated truck attack killed four members of a Muslim family in the city's northwest vowing to continue fighting against Islamophobia. 

Dozens of people attended a walk in memory of the Afzaal family at Canterbury Park on Tuesday, a few steps away from where they were hit by a driver on June 6, 2021 at Hyde Park and South Carriage Roads.

Imam Abd Alfatah Twakkal facilitated reflective exercises to commemorate the victims, also known as 'Our London Family', and recognize the impact of the tragedy to ensure it doesn't repeat.

"As we walk, we're going to stop at different stations and reflect on aspects of remembering Our London Family. We can never forget what transpired here four years ago, but we need to constantly be taking steps to ensure this never happens to any community," said Twakkal.

Yumnah Afzaal, 15, her parents Madiha Salman, 44, and Salman Afzaal, 46, and grandmother Talat Afzaal, 74— were intentionally struck and killed while out on an evening stroll. A young boy who was seriously injured was the sole survivor.

The man who killed them is serving a life sentence after he was convicted of terrorism, four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder during a trial in Windsor, Ont., in 2023. The case served as a test of how Canada's terror laws apply to white nationalists.

Since then, the community has held an annual vigil where they continue to call on politicians and law enforcement to strengthen legislation against hate-motivated crimes and better support for groups being targeted for their faith and ethnic backgrounds. 

'Beyond tokenism', says Imam 

At Tuesday's walk, city politicians and police officers walked in unison and talked about their internal biases, and learned from the Muslim community about how Islamophobia affects their daily lives.

"People don't sense what the community is experiencing when we have people who are visibly Muslim concerned on a daily basis that if the next hate-motivated crime [happens], they're going to be the victim of it," Twakkal said. 

"This has to move beyond tokenism. This is not simply a matter of checking off boxes to say we've done x-y-z, it's a continuous dialogue and work needs to continue."

His comments come the same day a 34-year-old man was charged in connection to a hate-motivated incident after he allegedly approached a Muslim woman outside her house last week, and threatened and tried to spit on her. 

Last June, another possible hate-motivated attack happened at another Muslim family's home in northwest London, where their front porch was set on fire. 

Youth group 'grateful' for community support 

The fatal attack on the Afzaals also sparked a movement among Muslim youth, dedicated to political advocacy and educating the community Islamophobia and what it looks like, starting with elementary and high school students. 

Members of the Youth Coalition Combatting Islamophobia said the walk helped them reflect on the progress made over the years and the importance of the support they've received from allies.

"We are definitely grateful for the support outside of the Muslim community, it's very helpful and inspiring. As young Muslims, we definitely appreciate that there's a broader community supporting us and it helps fuel us to do more work," said Safiyah Lawendy.

"It also provides an opportunity for us to feel a bit of relief to see because the onus tends be on us for a lot of the work that's done to combat Islamophobia and seeing so many people who are not from the Muslim community come out to these events really helps us remember we're not alone in this fight," added Hooriya Ansari. 

Ken Drudge still remembers the shock he felt when he learned about the murders, but the incident became more personal when he found out Salman Afzaal was his mother-in-law's physiotherapist at the long-term care home she was living in.

"We found out several days later that we were more closely connected than we realized," he said at Tuesday's walk. "[My mother-in-law] thought very highly of Mr. Afzaal and she was devastated when he suddenly didn't appear."

Drudge said the incident motivated him take a stronger role in educating his own circle on the dangers of Islamophobia. 

"I try to keep mindful of what I'm doing and what I'm saying. It makes me realize the circle that I'm in is relatively benign but there are pockets in this community where there's a strong amount of hatred and we have to be watchful for it." 

Londoners can attend a prayer on Friday at 1435 Hyde Park Road in honour of the family. All city buildings will be lit purple and green and an Our London Family flag will be raised at city hall in their memory.