Thousands march in support of Muslim family killed in Canada

Thousands of people have marched in support of a Canadian Muslim family run over and killed by a man driving a pick-up truck last Sunday in an attack the police described as a hate crime.

The four victims, spanning three generations, were killed when Nathaniel Veltman, 20, ran into them while they were out for an evening walk near their home.

A fifth family member, a nine-year-old boy, survived.

People in London, Ontario marched about seven kilometers from the spot where the family was struck down to a nearby mosque, the site close to where Veltman was arrested by police.

Some carried placards with messages reading “Hate has no home here”, “Love over hate”.

The 19-year old college student Abdullah al-Jarad at the march said the best part was not just the numbers but the diversity of the people coming from every single community in London, coming together for this cause.

Canadian court charged Veltnam with four counts of murder and will re-appear before the judge Monday next week