Toronto Police say they have concluded that an incident reported Friday in which an eleven-year-old girl’s hijab was cut as she walked to school, did not happen.Police had been investigating the alleged incident as a hate crime and now say their investigation is concluded.A media release from police on Monday said that the “events described in the original release did not happen,” but provided no further information on how investigators came to that conclusion.Allegations from the 11-year-old that surfaced on Friday morning described an attack against her with a pair of scissors, as an unknown man approached her from behind, pulled the hood of her coat down, and made a 30 cm cut into the back of her hijab. The alleged assault spurred reactions from all three levels of government, with Mayor John Tory, Premier Kathleen Wynne, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau all condemning the attack. Politicians expressed their relief that the attack did not occur. At Queen`s Park, Premier Kathleen Wynne, who had denounced the attack on Friday, expressed relief that the alleged hate crime never happened.`I`d like to thank the Toronto Police Service for their work in this matter, and I join all Ontarians in being thankful and relieved that this assault did not take place,` Wynne said in a statement.“It is good to know that this event didn`t happen,” Tory said in a news release, adding “we all must remain vigilant in the fight against hate, racism, bigotry, anti-Semitism and Islamophobia to make sure our city remains an inclusive place.`A spokesman for the Toronto District School Board said Monday they are “very thankful” that the alleged assault did not happen. More to come.With files from Canadian Press and Robert Benzie
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