Man charged with assault for allegedly spitting on Muslim students in Ontario’s London

A man has been charged with two counts of assault for allegedly spitting on Muslim students at Western University in Ontario, Canada.

The male, who has also been barred from varsity premises, was arrested by the university’s special constable service after two incidents were reported.

It wasn’t specified if the accused, who is scheduled to appear before a court, was a student at the university.

In a post shared by WU’s Muslim Students Association (MSA) on its Instagram account, the MSA stated: “We strongly condemn the actions of the repeat offender, and extend our gratitude to Western University and Campus Police for their support during this process.”

“It is crucial to acknowledge that this isolated incident is just one manifestation of the broader issue of hatred and Islamophobia that continues to persist at Western…we recognise that there is much work to be done in combating the root causes of discrimination,” the association added.

In the same Instagram post, the MSA listed a total of nine Islamophobic incidents they claim have taken place on campus over the last month, including instances of physical assault and car tires being slashed.

In a statement shared by WU with The Gazette, Western University’s official student newspaper, the varsity said: “Western is committed to providing a safe and welcoming environment and we are here to support our students. Hate and discrimination have no place on our campus and will not be tolerated.”

Western University is situated in Ontario’s city of London which has recently been in the news over the conviction of Nathaniel Veltman, who was found guilty of attacking and killing four members of a Pakistani-origin Muslim family with his pick-up truck in June 2021 in the same city.

Veltman is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan 4 and Jan 5 in the coming year.