Ontario man found guilty of first degree and attempted murder in 2021 ‘political’ attack on Muslim family News
AvidLondonerK2001, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia
Ontario man found guilty of first degree and attempted murder in 2021 ‘political’ attack on Muslim family

An Ontario, Canada jury found Nathaniel Veltman guilty of the first-degree murders of Yumnah Afzaal, her parents Madiha and Salman Afzaal, and grandmother Talat Afzaal in a hate-motivated attack. A nine-year-old boy was also injured in the truck attack but survived. The deceased victims were 15-74 years old. 

Nathaniel Veltman targeted the Afzaal family of London, Ontario specifically because of their faith and Muslim identities, admitting freely to the police in his first interview following the murders in 2021 that he attacked the family with his truck for “purely political reasons.” Veltman also admitted in the interview that he had looked at other attacks against Muslims for inspiration and that he wished to “send a message” to the Muslim community.

This attack comes at a time amid rising hate crimes against Jews, Muslims and Catholics in Canada. According to Statistics Canada, the number of hate crimes between 2019 and 2021 increased by 72 percent. Furthermore, the Canadian Senate recommended mandatory training on islamophobia and unconscious bias through in federal offices and an increase of government funding to address hate-motivated crimes in its 2022 report “Combating Hate: Islamophobia and its Impacts on Muslims in Canada.”

Despite this rise in Islamophobia, the victims’ family released a statement following the verdict thanking the London and Windsor, Ontario communities for their strength and support. The family wrote that “this wasn’t just a crime against the Muslim community, but rather, an attack against the safety and security of all Canadians.”

Sentencing will be determined on December 1 and 2.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Pope Urban II sparks First Crusade

Pope Urban II threw his support behind what would become the First Crusade on November 27, 1095 during the Council of Clairmont. The Pope urged the council's participants to render aid to the Byzantine Empire, which was being attacked by the Seljuks. Pope Urban called for a wide coalition of rich and poor to combat the threat, which eventually resulted in the conquest of much of the Muslim-controlled Levant by the Crusaders and the establishment of the Crusader States. Read Pope Urban's address.  

Catholic Code of Canon Law revised

On November 27, 1983, the revised Code of Canon Law of the Roman Catholic Church went into effect. Learn more about the history of Canon Law from Professor Kenneth Pennington of the Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law.

Alfred Nobel creates Nobel Prize in his will

On November 27, 1895, Alfred Nobel signed his will, creating the Nobel Prize. Learn more about the history of the Nobel Prize and the Nobel Commission.