The South Vancouver Seniors Hub Council is appalled by the targeted killing of the Afzaal family on June 6 in London, Ontario. We condemn that senseless act.
This crime was racially motivated and was a crime of hate. It is not acceptable and we condemn any and all such behaviours.
The Muslim community is grieving the senseless loss of the members of the Afzaal family and wonder if it is safe for any Muslim to leave their homes. The citizens of London, Ontario and the rest of Canada are grieving with them.
Everyone is checking their own conscience.
What can we do?
- Check our own thoughts and actions.
- Welcome newcomers to your neighborhood.
- Any time you see anyone new in your neighbourhood, greet them and welcome them into your community.
- If you observe any one being abused and want to react in an assertive manner… (check this link)
- If you are a victim of an act of racism or hatred (or are supporting a victim), please call 9-1-1 to report the incident.
- When reporting an incident, state that you are reporting a Hate Crime (emergencies such as attacks, assaults and threats).
- For non-emergency crimes such as graffiti, vandalism and hate propaganda, the operator will connect you to the appropriate detachment to handle the situation.
- There is no fee when calling 9-1-1 for either emergency or non-emergency situations.
- If you are a victim of a hate crime, or have witnessed a hate crime, help is available through victim services and other resources.
- Contact Vancouver Police Hate Crime Unit Det. / Cst. Jacquie Abbott of the Hate Crimes Unit can be reached at 604-717-9993 or jacquie.abbott@vpd.ca.
- Speak to a Victim Service Worker by calling VictimLink BC at 1-800-563-0808 (confidential and multilingual)
- Contact Police Based Victims Services by calling 1-877-869-0720.
- Contact the Youth Against Violence Line at 1-800-680-4264 (confidential and multilingual)
Please join us in calling out this horrific act. Think how you would act yourself if you were exposed to something like this. Think about what we all can do to prevent this from happening in the future.
South Vancouver Seniors Hub Council