Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a stop in London, Ont. Sunday afternoon ahead of planned community events meant to honour the Afzaal family, ahead of the first anniversary of the deadly attack.
Early afternoon on Sunday, Trudeau participated in a roundtable discussion with students at Oakridge Secondary School.
Later in the afternoon, London Mayor Ed Holder introduced Trudeau, who then took the stage at outside of Oakridge Secondary School to a crowd of approximately 2,000 people to talk about the memories of the Afzaal family and the dangers of Islamophobia.
“We need to be there to clearly say this is unacceptable, this is wrong,” he said. “We also need to act.”
During the speech, Trudeau said it sent a strong message to see so many people in attendance at the rally, but there still is much more to do, but added that Canada’s diversity and openness is what makes Canada great.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stopped in London, Ont. on June 5, 2022 ahead of community events planned in honour of the Afzaal family, who were killed on June 6, 2021. The prime minister’s first stop was at Oakridge Secondary School where he met with youth organizers. (CTV)
“Canadians everywhere are with you because Islamophobia is not just an attack on Muslims — it’s an attack on all Canadians,” Trudeau said.
Trudeau also spoke to the harm and divisiveness of disinformation, and said it’s up to us to speak up and call it out. He said that words matter because they lead to action, and action is what lead to thousands of people gathering at Oakridge Secondary School on Sunday for the Afzaal family.
“Words matter,” he said. “Words continue to matter.”
“We are all with you. We are all Muslims in Canada. We are all Afzaal family members in Canada,” Trudeau said near the end of his speech.
Following the conclusion of the speeches, there will be community-led march through the streets of London, beginning at Oakridge Secondary School and culminating at the London Muslim Mosque.
An estimated 2,000 people are in attendance at a rally at Oakridge Secondary School meant to honour the Afzaal family on June 5, 2022. (Nick Paparella/CTV News London)According to the City of London, there will be traffic impacts on Sunday ahead of the march.
Oxford Street between Hyde Park Road and Wonderland Road is now closed. There will also be no parking available at the school.
Four members of the Afzaal family were killed in what police call an alleged hate-motivated attack after a truck struck the family on June 6, 2021. Only a young boy survived the attack.
— With files from CTV News London’s Nick Paparella
This is a developing story…
