The article I chose is called This was a terrorist attack,' PM Trudeau says as MPs reflect on Islamophobia after family killed. Nathaniel Veltman is facing 4 accounts of murder and 1 account of attempted murder. On Sunday, June 6th 2021, in London, Ontario, a black truck ran over Salman Afzaal, his wife Madiha Salman, their daughter Yumna Afzaal, their son Fayez Afzaal, and Salman's mother, Talat Afzaal while they were waiting to cross the street. Every member of the family was killed except for Fayez. Veltman, the accused, is currently residing in Elgin Middlesex Detention Centre while waiting for his murder charges trial on June 14th. The incident has begun being referred to as a terrorist attack by many, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, even though the police and court have yet to rule it as one.
Before this course:
Before this course, the knowledge I had would have resulted in me feeling very upset and shaken to the core. An entire family had been murdered, and only a 5-year child was left alive; that simple thought is heartbreaking, especially considering the fact that the Afzaal's were an immigrant family who came here for a better life, only to have it taken away from them. With the knowledge that I had before this course, I believed criminal law was whenever someone would physically hurt someone else, so I would have believed this case dealt with criminal law only. At that time, I would have believed that the Canadian Justice System dealt with this situation properly; they found a suspect, detained him and are waiting for the trial so he can be punished.
After this course:
After this course, the knowledge I've gained has caused my feelings to change a little bit. I'm still very upset that the Afzaal family was brutally murdered and that only Fayez is now alive. However, I'm also upset about how Veltman has been treated; there is currently next to no evidence that what occured was an act of terrorism, yet Veltman is being referred to as a terrorist by the media and by members of the government. As written in Section 11d of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the right of any person charged with an offence is to be presumed innocent until proven guilty. Veltman has not been proven guilty of terrorism, in fact there is not enough evidence for a trial, however big names, such as Justin Trudeau, calling his acts an act of terrorism results him the word "terrorist" being permanently attached to his name, even if he gets proven to be innocent. Other than Veltman's rights, this case deals with criminal law, as the Afzaal family has been murdered. With the knowledge I have now, I feel the Canadian justice system fails to protect the accused and their rights from the public and media.
