The Iranian Canadian Congress is deeply saddened to hear of the news of the vicious racist attack that occurred in London this week against one of the members of the Iranian Canadian community, Mr. Mohammad Sharifi. This kind of incident is unacceptable and is a threat to Canada’s multicultural society. As such, we call upon the Mayor of London, along with the London City Council, the London Police Service, and the Ontario government to assure that the perpetrators of this attack are brought to justice immediately. Additionally, we ask that these bodies and elected officials implement policies in collaboration with the federal government to address and combat racism and xenophobia not only in the City of London, but in the province of Ontario and in Canada overall.

Incidents such as these show how much work our society still has in front of it to create an environment without prejudice and inequality. Only through a coordinated effort between government, law enforcement and civil society, can we make sure that our cities and provinces are a place where everyone feels safe and equally valued. As such, the Iranian Canadian Congress will continue to pursue this case and assure that the appropriate leaders and bodies keep this matter on top of their agenda. We also invite other ethnic and civil society organizations to join us in this effort and unify against such brutal and unacceptable actions.

We thank London City Councillor Mohamed Salih for his unequivocal condemnation of this action and on his commitment to combating racism in his city and we call upon other members of the London City Council to join their colleague in this effort.

Sincerely,
Board of Directors
Iranian Canadian Congress