Somali community condemns attack

`I think the intention was to kill them,' head of national cultural society says

Members of Edmonton's Somali community are raising concerns for their safety after an alleged hate-motivated assault occurred in broad daylight at a busy public area.

City police responded to an assault on two Somali women wearing hijabs who were sitting in their car in the Southgate Centre parking lot on Tuesday. Edmonton police said in a news release Wednesday that a man approached the car yelling racist obscenities before he smashed the passenger-side window. One of the women fled the vehicle, and he chased her down and assaulted her. When the other woman tried to help, the man pushed her to the ground.

Jibril Ibrahim, president of the Somali Canadian Cultural Society, said he has not heard of such an attack taking place in Edmonton before.

“It's a disturbing event,” said Ibrahim. “It adds a little bit of, you know, additional anxiety that the community is experiencing at this moment.”

Ibrahim said he has spoken to the victims of the attack. He said they are dealing with a number of injuries, including one to the neck and both to their mental health.

“I think the intention was to kill them or something,” said Ibrahim.

Naima Haile, a well-known member of the Somali community, said the attack has left her feeling afraid and unsafe in Edmonton.

“I feel unsafe. I've never felt unsafe in Canada before,” said Haile. “Is it my skin colour? Is it my scarf? I don't know which one I need to shed.”

Haile said the nature of the attack — that it took place in broad daylight in a busy, public area — makes it even more worrisome. She said she can recall one instance where a young girl had her hijab pulled off her head by a group of kids, but never has there been a violent assault by an adult.

“This is a grown man. This is beyond a hate crime.” said Haile.

She said the community is going to hold a Zoom meeting to discuss how they can move forward. Ibrahim said more education is needed to ensure such an attack doesn't happen again.

“I just had a conversation with Edmonton Public Schools the other day and was talking about having interfaith calendars. I told them that maybe we should start giving some kind of education about other cultures and other faiths to students,” said Ibrahim.

“We need to create some kind of a social harmony and education is a No. 1 priority.”

Edmonton police chief Dale McFee addressed the attack during a Thursday police commission meeting, saying it is “not acceptable.”

“The message is quite simple: it has to stop, it's not acceptable, it never has been acceptable. But more importantly now, this isn't the way we treat people in the city of Edmonton, and if you do, you're going to be charged,” said Mcfee.

Richard Bradley Stevens, 41, is facing two counts of assault and one count of mischief. Court documents show his next scheduled court appearance is Jan. 5.