Police east of Toronto are investigating what they describe as the “violent swarming” of a woman at a restaurant by a group of young people.
Durham Regional Police said the incident happened just after midnight on Wednesday at a Pizza Pizza location on Wentworth Street West in Oshawa and ended with an assault.
A prominent advocacy group said the victim was a Muslim woman who owned the location.
The National Council of Canadian Muslims alleged the young people were trying to steal from the Pizza Pizza when the owner confronted them. They said her hijab was pulled off and said the suspects had assaulted her.
The group asked police to thoroughly investigate the incident, including whether or not it was potentially hate-motivated.
In their report, police said the suspects had been creating a disturbance in the restaurant. They alleged that one jumped behind the counter to take something.
“That suspect was confronted by the victim and a violent struggle ensued,” a police news release said. “During that struggle, several other individuals also jumped behind the counter, swarmed and assaulted the victim.”
Police said all motives, “including the potential that this was a hate-motivated offence,” would be considered.
Investigators said they believed those involved were under 18 and therefore could not be publicly identified.
Amira Elghawaby, a federal special representative on combating Islamophobia, said at a news conference outside Oshawa’s city hall this morning that the victim was visibly Muslim.
She alleged the suspects “violently” ripped off the woman’s hijab during the attack, and said community members are feeling anxious and frightened.
The altercation was captured on the store’s surveillance video.