Relatives of family killed in London, Ont., truck attack worry about more hate, call for humanity

Hina and Ali Islam don't say the name of the white nationalist who drove his large pickup truck into members of their family.

"The killer tried to divide us, to isolate Muslims, that was his intention and what I saw instead was humanity coming out. People from different colours, faiths, walks of life, hugging us, coming to support us. I wish we can take that momentum and continue it forward," said Hina Islam, whose niece Madiha Salman, 44, was one of four people killed when the driver steered toward a Muslim family on June 6, 2021 in London, Ont. 

Also killed that day was Madiha's husband, Salman Afzaal, 47, the couple's daughter, Yumnah, 15, and Salman's mother, Talat Afzaal, 74. The couple's son, a nine-year-old boy, was seriously injured and survived.

Nathaniel Veltman, 22, was found guilty last week of four counts of first degree murder and one count of attempted murder.

In an interview with CBC's Adrienne Arsenault, the Islams  spoke about the difficult two-month trial and the long road since the attack in 2021, when community members and politicians came together to decry hate and Islamophobia. 

They hope that the hate they sometimes see growing around them today isn't indicative of the future.

"There's a lot of work that needs to be done, because hate in society still continues to exist," said Hina Islam.

Surviving family members have always wanted to keep the Afzaal's son, who survived, out of the public eye, but say that prayers and expressions of support from across the country have been instrumental in his recovery.

"He has a very good network of care," Ali Islam said. "He's happy and healthy and doing what an 11-year-old should be doing."  

Of all the families in London, the killer happened to find a group of people that embodied humility and decency, he added. "You could not beat them for niceness. The self-sacrifice, the way they take care of everyone around that. That is really a part of their legacy." 

Watch the interview with Ali and Hina Islam on Nov. 22 on The National at 9 p.m. ET on CBC News Network and 10 p.m. local time on your CBC television station. You can also catch The National online on CBC Gem. 

At a sentencing date yet to be set, a judge will determine whether his crime — the planned and deliberate murders of a Muslim family, out for an evening walk that day and targetted because of the traditional Pakistani clothing the women were wearing — amounted to terrorism. 

"For me, the terrorism label will bring some measure of security to many minority communities," said Ali Islam. "When I was growing up, I was taught that a terrorist was a brown man wearing a turban yelling in a strange language with a machine gun. This will make a difference to bring security." 

It might, he hopes, make someone think twice next time they think about attacking a minority group, whether it's a Muslim family, an LGBTQ parade or a cultural festival.