Police investigating Oshawa swarming attack advocates say may have been hate-motivated

Durham police say they are investigating a violent swarming caught on security video that one prominent Muslim advocacy group says may have been motivated by hate.

The incident unfolded at around 12:30 a.m. Wednesday at a Pizza Pizza location on Wentworth Street W. in Oshawa, police said in a news release Thursday. 

A group of people, believed to be youths, were "creating a disturbance" inside the restaurant, according to police. One of the individuals then hopped a counter and attempted to steal an item.

The victim confronted the person and a "violent struggle ensued."

"During that struggle, several other individuals also jumped behind the counter, swarmed and assaulted the victim," police said.

The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) publicly released security video of the attack and, in an accompanying statement, said it was "utterly appalled and disgusted" by the assault.

According to the group, the victim was the owner of the establishment. During the attack, NCCM said, her hijab was ripped off and the attackers stomped on her head.

"We are encouraging local police to look into every angle of this incident, including investigating this incident as hate-motivated," the statement said.

Victim 'lucky to be alive,' daughter says

At a news conference Thursday morning alongside representatives from NCCM and federal and provincial politicians, the victim's daughter said the attack left her mother badly injured.

"My mother is still recovering from the attack. She is deeply shaken. The incident has left her scarred and extremely on edge," said the woman, whom CBC Toronto is not publicly identifying for her safety.

"She's very lucky to be alive," she added. "Our family is still coming to terms with what happened."

The woman said her family has faced multiple instances of anti-Muslim verbal abuse and harassment at their business in recent years.

'Disturbing pattern of hate incidents': NCCM

Omar Khamissa, chief operating officer at NCCM and also a speaker at the news conference, highlighted a spate of Islamophobic incidents in Durham Region in the last several months, including a hijab-wearing woman who was nearly set on fire in an Ajax library in March. 

Several mosques in Clarington were recently vandalized, while anti-Muslim graffiti appeared recently in Whitby, Khamissa said. 

Speaking to CBC Radio's Metro Morning on Friday, NCCM spokesperson Reem Sheet said, "We've seen disturbing pattern of incidents of hate in Durham Region over the past few months."

The NCCM's legal department has received information about eight very serious instances of hate in the last month, Sheet said, noting that half of them have come from the region.

Also speaking to Metro Morning, Durham police Acting Staff Sgt. Joanne McCabe said that the service is seeing a statistical decrease in the number of calls for service about hate crime-related offences.

"One incident is obviously too much," McCabe said. "We are doing everything we can."

She reiterated that police are considering "all motives," including the possibility that the swarming was motivated by hate, in their investigation. The service's hate crime unit is assisting the primary investigators, according to the news release.

Police added they are aware that video of the attack is circulating online, but cautioned that the Youth Criminal Justice Act prohibits publishing any information that would identify a young person accused of a crime. 

Investigators are encouraging anyone with information about the attack to come forward. 

"Our immediate priorities are to ensure the victim receives appropriate support, and identify those responsible," police said in a statement on X Friday. They are encouraging anyone involved in the swarming to consult a lawyer and turn themselves in to police.