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London’s mayor and a group representing Canadian Muslims are condemning what they say is a hate-motivated attack on a Muslim family in a London park.
London police say a man was with his family in downtown park when an unknown man approached them, made “derogatory comments” to the man and assaulted him.
Police say the incident “has been determined to be hate-motivated” but didn’t provide any details about why the man was targeted. The investigation has been reassigned to the force’s hate crime officer, police said.
The National Council of Canadian Muslims said in a post on X that the family was Muslim.
“We are deeply horrified and saddened to learn of this,” the council said. “Over the last year, we have seen more and more Muslim families being targeted in hateful attacks in London.”
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London Mayor Josh Morgan condemned the alleged attack in a post on X.
“Islamophobia has absolutely no home in London or anywhere else. We must continue to condemn these incidents, and work to ensure everyone feels safe in our city,” he said.
Police said the family was in a park near King and Thames streets on Saturday at about 3:30 p.m. when the unknown man approached the man and his family.
The suspect made “derogatory comments” toward the man and then assaulted him, police said, adding the suspect remained in the area for about 20 minutes before leaving the park on an e-bike.
The man sustained minor injuries and didn’t require medical attention, police said.
The suspect had not been identified as of Tuesday, police said. He is described as a white man approximately 40 years old who was wearing a black toque, black jacket, dark jeans and light-coloured sneakers. He was riding a blue e-bike.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call London police at 519-661-5670 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
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