Unequal Coverage of Hate Crimes in Ottawa: Suradway Parents Association Calls for Fairness and Consistency

Over the past two months, Ottawa has seen three violent attacks, all determined or investigated as hate-motivated:

August 27 – College Square Loblaws: A Jewish woman was stabbed in an antisemitic assault that prompted national headlines and public condemnations from multiple levels of government.

August 11 – OC Transpo Bus (Kanata): A young Muslim woman wearing a hijab was assaulted and threatened; charges included inciting hate. The Prime Minister and the Mayor issued statements denouncing the attack.

August 25 – Blair Station: A Black Muslim woman was beaten and left bloodied and unable to work. Initially treated as a simple assault by OC Transpo, the case was later upgraded to a hate-motivated offence and transferred to the Ottawa Police Service Hate and Bias Crime Unit.

Despite the Blair Station incident now being officially recognized as hate-motivated, no major media outlet has covered the case, and no political leader has issued a public statement.

“When our political leaders and media outlets bring attention to hate crimes, they send a message to Canadians about the kind of nation we want to be, and about our values — selective empathy shouldn’t be one of them.” — Abdirizak Mohamud, Managing Director, Suradway Parents Association of Ottawa

Suradway is urging local and national institutions to adopt consistent standards of transparency and public communication when responding to hate motivated violence.

The organization also calls on newsrooms to ensure equal visibility for all victims, regardless of race, faith, or background. “Hate in Ottawa wears many faces — but our compassion and accountability must be one.” — Abdirizak Mohamud