Outpouring of grief, support at funeral for London, Ont., family killed in truck attack

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This article was published 11/06/2021 (1294 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A family whose neighbours and friends described them as “the best people in our community” and who were killed last Sunday evening in what police said was a hate-motivated attack in London, Ont., were laid to rest Saturday as their deaths continued to spark calls for action to end anti-Muslim hate.

More than 1,000 people gathered for a public memorial service honouring Talat Afzaal, 74, her son Salman Afzaal, 46, his wife Madiha Salman, 44, and their 15-year-old daughter Yumna — four members of a Muslim family killed when a man veered a truck onto a sidewalk and struck them.

Salman and Madiha’s nine-year-old Fayez was seriously injured.

Speaking to the crowd, Dr. Ali Islam, Madiha Salman’s uncle, said the support his family has received has been “a first step toward finding a way to heal” as they grapple with sleepless nights, survivor’s guilt and unimaginable grief.

“The outpouring of support we have received from Canadians and from across the world has confirmed the potential of absolute innate goodness inside humankind, irrespective of colour and creed,” Islam said.

“As this week has progressed, we realized that our extended family was much larger than we could have ever imagined. Many people have asked us what they can do to help: I ask you to be examples of love and compassion. I ask you to take the time to learn from someone who doesn’t look the same as you.”

At the schools and workplaces where the family members worked and studied, “there are hundreds of lucky people who felt the gentle unassuming characters of our loved ones,” Islam said.

Salman Afzaal was a physiotherapist who worked at care homes for seniors, an avid gardener and a man who friends said believed in the good in people.

Madiha Salman was a scholar pursuing a PhD in environmental engineering, researching how to clean soils damaged by industrial chemicals.

Their daughter, Yumna, was a young artist and honour roll student who painted a mural last year at the London Islamic School, and was a beloved sister to her only sibling, 9-year-old Fayez — the lone survivor of the attack.

Talat Afzaal, mother to Salman and grandmother to the children, has been described as the pillar of her family.

It was last Sunday evening when the family was out for an evening walk when a man in a black pickup truck veered onto the sidewalk and struck them at approximately 8:40 p.m. Police said it was a planned, premeditated attack motivated by hate because they were Muslim.

As calls for a national summit on Islamophobia grow across the country, federal lawmakers passed a motion this week asking the government to convene one by the end of July. In Ontario, MPPs approved unanimously a motion condemning Islamophobia early Saturday, two days after the government blocked a similar motion, brought forward by Liberal MPP and former cabinet minister Mitzie Hunter, saying they had not seen it.

The murders sparked a wave of grief and outrage across the country and prompted calls for immediate action to fight anti-Muslim hate and racism. London Mayor Ed Holder said 15,000 people attended a vigil in London on Tuesday in support of the family, and similar rallies were held across the country this week.

Imam Aarij Anwer of the London Muslim Mosque prayed for Fayez at the memorial Saturday, saying, “Guide his heart so he can cope with this tragedy.”

An online fundraiser for the boy has so far received more than 15,000 donations.

A private funeral service for family members was held at a London funeral home earlier on Saturday. Afterward, a procession made its way to the public memorial at the Islamic Centre of Southwest Ontario, where mourners gathered in a parking lot and nearby soccer fields, distanced and wearing masks. The four caskets, draped in Canadian flags, were carried through the crowd and stationed near a stage from which speakers offered prayers and words of comfort.

Raza Bashir, Pakistan’s ambassador to Canada, said at the memorial that Pakistan stands “shoulder to shoulder” with those who lost their loved ones. “Our hearts are bleeding because of the atrocity that has befallen this wonderful, marvellous family,” Bashir said.

A private burial took place after the memorial service at the Islamic Cemetery of London.

Nathaniel Veltman, 20, faces four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. Police allege he deliberately veered his truck onto the sidewalk and struck the family of five while they were waiting to cross a street in the city’s northwest corner on Sunday.

Witnesses said the truck was moving at high speed. London Police arrested the suspect about five minutes later in a strip mall parking lot seven kilometres away. Witnesses said he wore what appeared to be body armour and a military-style helmet.

Police said this week there is evidence the attack was “a planned, premeditated act, motivated by hate.”

With files from Wendy Gillis, Alyshah Hasham, Kris Rushowy and the Canadian Press

Amy Dempsey is a Star reporter and feature writer based in Ottawa. Follow her on Twitter: @amydempsey