'I don't feel safe': Pig carcass left outside south London, Ont., Halal grocery store
A Muslim family who run a south London grocery store said they're anxious after a pig carcass was left outside their business.
Berries Market owner Husam Mohammed said the discovery was made by a customer and a staff member at approximately 10 a.m. on March 24.
The roasted pig was left along the front wall outside the store.
"I don't feel safe. My family doesn't feel safe, too. So it's really hard. It's really hard,” he told CTV News London.
The store caters primarily to the local Muslim population, but Mohammed said he appreciates that people of all faiths and cultures will shop there. The store features Halal products which conform to Islamic law, as consuming pork is forbidden.
What makes the discovery so ominous for Mohammed is that something similar happened prior to a January 2017 mass shooting at a Quebec City Mosque. That shooting claimed six lives and left others seriously injured.
"One day before they had a shooting they put a head of pork in front of the mosque,” he said.
Mohammed said he and his family moved from Montreal after that incident because of a growing sense of intolerance.
A pig carcass was found along the front wall of Berries Market in London, Ont. on March 24, 2024. (Source: Submitted)
Then, in June of 2021, a London Muslim family was run down by a man who was later convicted of four counts of first-degree murder.
That act was determined to be a terrorist attack by a Superior Court justice.
Mohammed wants assurances that if an incident is motivated by racial or religious hate they are thoroughly investigated and have greater consequences.
"I would like governments to have rules against Islamophobia,” he said. “I count this as Islamophobia.”
The National Council of Canadian Muslims issued a statement on social media that said they are aware of the incident and are in touch with all parties, including authorities. They also encouraged all to refrain from speculation before investigations conclude and we know more about motivations.
Berries Market does have a surveillance camera that covers the front entrance, but the view does not extend to the location where the carcass was left.
Mohammed was told by police they will be looking for other surveillance video from the area in an effort to identify a suspect or suspects.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cisco reveals security breach, warns of state-sponsored spy campaign
State-sponsored actors targeted security devices used by governments around the world, according to technology firm Cisco Systems, which said the network devices are coveted intrusion points by spies.
I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'oesn't get' the global phenomenom.
Student anti-war protesters dig in as faculties condemn university leadership over calling police
Students protesting the Israel-Hamas war at at universities across U.S., some of whom have clashed with police in riot gear, dug in Saturday and vowed to keep their demonstrations going, while several school faculties condemned university presidents who have called in law enforcement to remove protesters.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
opinion RFK Jr.'s presidential candidacy and its potential threat to Biden and Trump
Although it's still unclear how much damage Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s candidacy can do to either Joe Biden or Donald Trump this election, Washington political columnist Eric Ham says what is clear is both sides recognize the potential threat.
'The world is too messy for bureaucratic hurdles': Canada still bars Afghanistan aid
Ottawa has plans to finally stop blocking Canadian development aid to Afghanistan this year.