Prayer service, vigil to honour Muslim family on anniversary of London attack
Published June 6, 2022 at 11:46 am
LONDON, Ont. — A prayer service and vigil today will honour four members of a Muslim family in London, Ont., killed one year ago in what authorities have called a hate-motivated attack.
The service and vigil are part of a series of events organized for the London community to honour the Afzaal family after the June 6, 2021 truck attack.
The prayer service, hosted by the London Muslim community, will take place from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Islamic Cemetery of London.
A vigil for the family has been planned for 6:30 p.m. and will be led by friends of Yumnah Afzaal, the 15-year-old daughter of the family who was killed in the attack.
The vigil, organized by the Youth Coalition Combating Islamophobia, will be hosted at the Memorial Plaza.
Event organizers say all are welcome to attend.
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Premier Doug Ford released a statement on Monday calling the attack on the Afzaal family “a horrific act of hate-motivated terrorism claimed the lives of four innocent people and left a young boy without his family.”
“Today, as we continue to grieve this tragic and senseless loss, I join all Ontarians in honouring the memory of the Afzaal family,” Ford said. “Racism, hate and discrimination have no place in our province.”
Ford said his government is committed to fighting Islamophobia “and defend everyone’s fundamental right to practice their faith free of fear, intimidation and violence.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2022.
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