Chatham-Kent honours Afzaal family
People gathered at the Bradley Centre in Chatham June 9 to mourn and honour the Afzaal family from London.Alex Kurial, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
By Alex Kurial, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Independent
Jun 16, 2021
Teddy bears, flowers and messages of peace and condolence quickly filled the space outside the Bradley Centre last week as Chatham-Kent came together to mourn the deaths of the Afzaal family.
The drive-by vigil was held June 9, just one day after 10,000 people gathered 90 minutes away in London to honour the four family members killed in what police say was a hate-fueled attack against Muslims.
Talat Afzaal, 74, Salman Afzaal, 46, Madiha Afzaal, 44, and Yumna Afzaal, 15, all died after being struck by a pickup truck while crossing a London intersection June 6. Fayez Afzaal, 9, survived and remains in the hospital.
Nathaniel Veltman, 20, was charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder for the attack. Monday, a terrorism charge was levied against Veltman, who is detained at the Elgin Middlesex Detention Centre.
“This shook everybody so much. Not just Muslims, everybody. An incident like this does not pass by without deep recognition among all the people,” says Hassan Elkhodr, president of the Chatham-Kent Muslim Association.
A steady stream of vehicles and hundreds of people arrived during the hour-long vigil. People dropped off donations, stuffed animals and offered their prayers to the many members of Chatham-Kent’s Muslim community in attendance.
“Everybody is moved by this incident because it’s bigger than anyone can even take. People say, are we safe? Are we not safe? What’s going on?” says Elkhodr. “But we say we are safe. This is our home, this is our country.”
Many of the mourners knew Elkhodr personally through the Muslim association’s work in the community and spoke about how to ensure Islamophobic hate crimes end in Canada.
“I hope the hate comes down and people start talking to each other in a nice way and understanding each other,” says Elkhodr.
“No one is the enemy of anyone. We are all brothers and sisters in humanity and in faith.”
Maqsood Ahmad is from Pakistan and has lived in Chatham-Kent for 16 years. He believes Canada will rise above recent tragic events.
“We love each other here, that’s the beauty. Probably this is one of the few countries in the world where people can come from all over the place and they still feel at home,” says Ahmad.
“I still believe that’s Canadian values and this incident is not going to change that. I expect that we will connect more, we will see each other more and join hands for a good cause.”
Ahmad believes early education about diversity for children in schools is crucial to avoiding future terror attacks.
Mayor Darren Caniff also attended the vigil, laying flowers and speaking to concerned residents. He says there’s no place for racism in the community. “We don’t want it in our society and I don’t want it in Chatham-Kent. We are a welcoming community here and I want that to stand.”
“When I speak with the (Muslim) association I feel the belonging. They really like this community and they feel safe here, which is what I want everyone in this community to feel.”
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The event was originally scheduled for Tecumseh Park the same evening. But when it became clear a massive crowd was expected to show their support the municipality requested the switch to a drive-by format. Organizers understood and were comfortable with the change.
