A video published by the National Council of Canadian Muslims showing a Muslim woman being assaulted by a group of people in front of her seven-year-old child in Moncton, New Brunswick, has triggered widespread anger across social media.
The footage showed several people surrounding the woman in a car park before physically attacking her. Her child attempted to intervene and defend her, while her husband was away from the scene at the time, according to his account.
The National Council of Canadian Muslims said the family had been taking part in a car procession when they were harassed by a group shouting abusive remarks, including, “Go back to your country.” According to the council, the confrontation then escalated into an assault on the woman in front of her child.
The council said the husband later found his wife with facial swelling, a bleeding nose and visible signs of assault. It confirmed that the incident had been reported to the authorities and called for an investigation examining all possible motives, including whether the attack constituted a hate crime.
It also urged elected officials across Canada’s Atlantic provinces to condemn the rise in Islamophobia and strengthen engagement with Muslim communities.
Political Condemnation
The incident fuelled widespread anger online, with activists and rights organisations calling for a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances and for authorities to determine whether the assault was motivated by hatred.
Many said the attack reflected an alarming rise in hate crimes and racism targeting Muslims in Canada.
Canadian Liberal politician Ginette Petitpas Taylor condemned the incident, writing on X that reports of the “brutal assault” in Moncton had left her shocked.
She said a Muslim woman had been attacked in front of her seven-year-old son after being told to “go back to her country”, and that she required hospital treatment.
“I am angry, and I condemn this without reservation,” she wrote. “Hate-motivated crimes are rising in Canada, and we must not remain silent, because our silence emboldens those who seek to divide us.”
Petitpas Taylor said she would contact community leaders, religious figures and representatives of Canada’s multicultural communities to hear their concerns and work to confront the problem.
She stressed that Islamophobia and all forms of hatred had no place in Canada.
Addressing the victim and her child, she said many people in the community stood with them in defence of their safety, dignity and right to live without fear.
Widespread Anger Online
Public reaction intensified across social media platforms.
Activist Joey Henderson criticised what she described as the rise of far-right rhetoric and questioned the absence of an official response from the Canadian government.
“Where is the prime minister? Where is his condemnation and messaging?” she asked.
Political activist Nora Loreto linked the attack to other incidents targeting Muslims, noting that two mosques had reportedly been attacked the previous day.
“And today, white bigots are randomly beating people in a car park,” she wrote.
Activist Harminder Dhillon said the assault reflected the widening reach of hatred, noting that a Muslim woman had been chased and attacked in front of her son, who attempted to save her.
“The spread of hatred has poisoned our social fabric,” he said.
The Zurita Carpio account similarly said scenes of Islamophobia, racism and xenophobia directed against Muslims had become increasingly frequent in Canada, expressing alarm at the growth of the phenomenon.
Another activist, Sola, wrote on X that attacking a woman in front of her child was “as far removed from Canadian values as possible”.
“We have always taken pride in being a civil and calm country,” he wrote. “If you cannot walk past a mother without losing control, then you are the one who does not belong here.”
Other activists described the assault as “deeply horrifying”, noting that the woman had been surrounded by a group and subjected to racist abuse, including the demand that she “go back to her country”.
Another activist called the video “horrific and disgusting”, arguing that the limited attention given to the incident, compared with other cases that receive extensive coverage, exposed a double standard in how hate crimes are treated.
Activists also noted that the attack occurred while the Atlantic Nationals car show was taking place in Moncton.
They said the family appeared to have been targeted because of xenophobic hatred and stressed that Muslims are an integral part of Canadian society and that racism contradicts the country’s stated values of diversity and coexistence.
Rise in Hate Crimes Against Muslims
The assault comes amid repeated warnings over the growth of religiously motivated hate crimes in Canada.
According to Statistics Canada, police-reported hate crimes targeting Muslims increased by 94 per cent in 2023, reaching 211 incidents compared with 109 in 2022. This represented one of the largest recorded increases among religious groups.
Religiously motivated hate crimes overall rose by 67 per cent during the same year, while the total number of police-reported hate crimes increased by 32 per cent compared with 2022.
The latest preliminary data from Statistics Canada indicate that hundreds of hate crimes continued to be recorded during 2024, including dozens motivated by religion.
Rights organisations and representatives of Muslim communities continue to warn of growing hate speech and incitement against Muslims across the country.
