Assault outside Toronto public school considered hate crime

Toronto police say a Muslim woman reported she was attacked from behind and beaten by two men Monday while picking up her children from a school in North York.

According to investigators, the woman dropped to the ground to protect her face and the men proceeded to punch and kick her while she was down.

The suspects called her a “terrorist”, telling her to “go back to your country”.

According to police, the woman was at Grenoble Public School, southeast of Don Mills Road and Eglinton Avenue East, at 3 p.m. That’s when two men approached the woman beside the school, pulled her hijab aggressively and took her cellphone, police say. The woman yelled for them to stop.

Police say they are continuing to investigate and are checking security cameras in the area in an effort to identify the perpetrators of the violent robbery.

The woman was taken to local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

He said when he saw her, she and her children were crying.

“I was already told on the phone that the situation looks like a hate crime, from an officer that called me”, said the woman’s enraged brother, Owais.

Police are in search of the two suspects and described them as white men, according to CityNews.

“The main thing is we need to get together as a community of Muslims, as Torontonians, and catch them”, said Owais.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-3300, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), online at http://www.222tips.com, text TOR and your message to CRIMES (274637).