Canada to fight ‘far-right’ groups after ‘terrorist attack’ that killed four Muslims

Reuters reported:

A man accused of killing four members of a Canadian Muslim family by running them over in his pickup truck, targeted them in an attack motivated by hate, police said on Monday.

Police in London, Ontario, citing witnesses, said that 20-year-old Nathaniel Veltman, jumped the curb in his vehicle on Sunday, struck five members of the family, ranging in age from 9 to 74, and then drove off at high speed.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said: “This was a terrorist attack, motivated by hatred, in the heart of one of our communities.”

Jihad Watch initially had no intention of covering this story, as this site covers jihad activity, and while this story is one of human tragedy and horror, it is not one of jihad, Islamic supremacism, or Islamization. Or so we initially thought. But given the political agenda that is being pushed using this horrific incident, it had to be addressed.

Canada mourns. This is a case that bypasses politics. Or it should be. A family of three generations was run over and killed while on a leisurely walk; it could have been any of our families, and any humane person should be horrified, regardless of religion. But now, there is tragedy on top of tragedy. The second tragedy is that certain politicians have undermined the human component of this story in order to use it to play a dangerous political game.

“This was an act of mass murder, perpetrated against Muslims,” said Ed Holder, the Conservative mayor of London, Ontario, echoing many others. An observer from a foreign country could reasonably conclude that in Canada, Muslims constantly live in danger of “mass murder.”

Even though police indicated that this was a hate crime, police are not mandated to be judge and jury. Nathaniel Veltman will face the courts. Meanwhile, police often prematurely attribute jihad attacks in Europe and North America to “mental illness.” What gives police the right to conclude intent in any case before they could possibly have had the opportunity to gather and examine all the relevant evidence?

Mayor Holder has in effect turned Nathaniel Veltman’s act into a public indictment with severe implications prior to any due process. In doing so, he himself is guilty of acting from a mentality of mob rule. His panicked language is unfitting for a leader worthy of respect, although such leaders are hard to find these days.

Canada is turning into a country where the rule of law is trampled. This is fueled by the irresponsible political commentary of politicians who are agenda-driven or frightened, and an activist media.

Al Jazeera reported :

Sunday’s attack came amid rising concerns about Islamophobic attacks in provinces across Canada and widespread calls for authorities to tackle racism, hate-motivated violence, and the prevalence of far-right groups.

Reuters published a story Wednesday with this headline: “Canada’s Trudeau vows to fight far-right groups after Muslim family slain.” Trudeau vowed to hunt down and punish “far-right hate groups”:

We’ll continue to fight hate online and offline … (including) taking more action to dismantle far-right hate groups, like we did with the Proud Boys by adding them to Canada’s terror listing.

Yet there is no indication that Nathaniel Veltman was part of any group, or any published evidence of his political persuasion.

Trudeau’s statements, like Holder’s, came before any presentation of evidence in court. (The leader of the Proud Boys, by the way, is a traditionalist Hispanic man, yet the group is often dubbed “white supremacist” for its love of America.)

This is an underhanded attempt to advance the current censorship Bill C-10 that has caused an outcry in Canada.

It is clear that when all is said and done, Conservative politicians and anyone right of center, especially groups that stand against jihad violence and Sharia oppression of women, will be unjustly smeared with responsibility for this attack, no matter what they say or how much they might grieve over this incident. In Canada as in the U.S., there is a concerted attack on conservatism, the Western tradition, the freedom of speech, and even the idea of equality of rights for all, as manifested in societies based on the Judeo-Christian tradition, which is now in retreat everywhere.

Canada and all Western countries need to tackle all forms of genuine bigotry in an appropriate fashion and on a case-by-case basis. That includes the hateful pro-Palestinian rallies that have incited violence against Jews and jihad attacks on innocent people. In the midst of strict lockdowns for everyone else, a scared, politically correct Conservative government in Ontario has turned a blind eye to these massive, inciteful protests. In its silence, Ontario has sent the message that it is acceptable to be hateful toward Jews and the State of Israel.

Putting agenda and politics aside, the leader of the opposition, Erin O’Toole, tweeted out a message that showed some decorum:

We live in a society where people have differences of opinion. That should go without saying, but the voices screaming “diversity” are the loudest to condemn diversity of opinion and thought. Indeed, the word “Islamophobia” has disquieting implications in Canada, where the Liberal government has pushed the agenda of anti-Islamophobia Motion M-103, which would make the Organization of Islamic Cooperation proud. O’Toole plays into the hands of the Left by using this propaganda term; however, his reference to people of “all faiths” being able to live “without fear of violence or persecution” is good, at least in contrast to Trudeau’s one-sided statement.

Expect more dangerous Leftist political agitation to be based upon this tragic incident. It is terrible that this tragedy would be so callously and recklessly exploited for political gain.

“Man suspected of killing Canadian Muslim family was motivated by hate -police,” Reuters, June 8, 2021:

A man accused of killing four members of a Canadian Muslim family by running them over in his pickup truck, targeted them in an attack motivated by hate, police said on Monday.

Police in London, Ontario, citing witnesses, said that 20-year-old Nathaniel Veltman, jumped the curb in his vehicle on Sunday, struck five members of the family, ranging in age from 9 to 74, and then drove off at high speed.

Veltman, a resident of London who was arrested after the incident, has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. He is due back in court on Thursday after being remanded to custody on Monday.

“There is evidence that this was a planned, premeditated act, motivated by hate,” Detective Superintendent Paul Waight of the London police department told reporters.

“We believe the victims were targeted because of their Islamic faith,” Waight said.

Police in London – 200 km (120 miles) southwest of Toronto – were consulting the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and prosecutors about potentially filing terrorism charges, he said.

The suspect does not have a criminal record, and is not known to be a member of a hate group, police said. He was arrested in a mall parking lot without incident while wearing a body-armor-type vest, police said. There is no evidence he had any accomplices. It was not immediately known if the suspect had hired a lawyer.

Police have not released the victims’ names, but the London Free Press said that among the dead were Syed Afzaal, 46, his wife, Madiha Salman, 44, and their 15-year-old daughter, Yumnah Afzaal. Syed Afzaal’s 74-year-old mother, whose name has not been confirmed, also died. Their 9-year-old son, Faez Afzaal, is in the hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

The family immigrated from Pakistan about 14 years ago, according to media reports.

Witness Paige Martin told reporters a black truck blasted past her and ran a red light as she was walking, and then she came upon the scene and saw “chaos”: “It was just absolutely like something that you never want to see.”

The attack was the worst against Canadian Muslims since a man gunned down six members of a Quebec City mosque in 2017. London Mayor Ed Holder said it was the worst mass murder his city had ever seen.

“We grieve for the family, three generations of whom are now deceased,” Holder told reporters. “This was an act of mass murder, perpetrated against Muslims, against Londoners, and rooted in unspeakable hatred.”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Twitter that he was “horrified” by the news, adding that “Islamophobia has no place in any of our communities. This hate is insidious and despicable – and it must stop.”

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said on Twitter that “justice must be served for the horrific act of hatred that took place.”

‘TERRORIST ATTACK’

By late evening on Monday, a steady stream of mourners was seen arriving near the scene of the attack, dropping off flowers and saying prayers. One placard read: “When does it stop? Enough.”

A GoFundMe campaign in support of members of the victims’ family had already raised almost C$120,000 ($99,000) in one hour.

A vigil has been organized at a local mosque on Tuesday night to remember the victims.

“This is a terrorist attack on Canadian soil, and should be treated as such,” said Mustafa Farooq, head of the National Council of Canadian Muslims.

London, which has about 400,000 residents, has a large Muslim community and Holder said Arabic is the second-most-spoken language after English in the city……