Canada has condemned the “offensive and hateful” videos, which surfaced online asking Hindus of Indian origin to leave the country, terming it an “affront” to all Canadians and the values they hold. The Ministry of Public Safety of the Canadian government in a statement posted on X said, “There is no place in Canada for hate. The circulation of an online video in which Hindu Canadians are told to leave Canada is offensive and hateful, and is an affront to all Canadians and the values we hold dearly.” The Ministry has also urged the Canadians to respect each other and “follow the rule of law”.
Earlier members of ‘Hindu Forum Canada’ wrote to Canada’s Minister of Public Safety Dominic LeBlanc seeking security for the Hindu community in the face of direct threats from Khalistani elements. The forum urged the administration to pay urgent attention to the community’s deep concerns regarding recent statements by designated terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun asking all Indo-Canadian Hindus to leave the country following diplomatic tensions between the two countries over the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Canada’s Ministry of Public Safety said, “Acts of aggression, hate, intimidation or incitement of fear have no place in this country and only serve to divide us. We urge all Canadians to respect one another and follow the rule of law. Canadians deserve to feel safe in their communities”.
Minister Dominic LeBlanc has also condemned the circulation of the hate video and said that there is no place for such acts in society. “All Canadians deserve to feel safe in their communities. The circulation of an online hate video targeting Hindu Canadians runs contrary to the values we hold dear as Canadians. There is no place for acts of aggression, hate, intimidation or incitement of fear,” he tweeted. Harjit Sajjan a minister in Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet also said that those propagating threats “do not embody” Canadian values. “To Hindu Canadians and Indians from all backgrounds: Anyone who says you do not deserve to be safe & welcomed in your home does not embody the values of freedom & kindness we hold dear as Canadians. Do not let others delegitimize or question your place and love for Canada,” Sajjan, Canada’s minister for emergency preparedness said on X. On Thursday, Canadian MP Chandra Arya had alleged that some extremist elements are “attacking” and “threatening” Hindu-Canadians to go back to India. He also urged all the Hindu-Canadians in the country to stay calm and vigilant and report any untoward incident to law enforcement agencies. Notably, Arya is an Indo-Canadian leader who belongs to the Liberal Party of Canada, the same party as Trudeau.
Hate crimes against Indians in 2022
February: Indo-Canadian media person attacked by three in the Greater Toronto Area.
March: 25-year-old woman from Kapurthala dies after being hit on the head with a rod.
April: 21-year-old student from Ghaziabad dies after being shot trying to hail a bus.
July: Mahatma Gandhi’s statue at a Vishnu Temple in Richmond Hill desecrated.
August: Brampton-based radio host attacked by group brandishing axes, machetes.
September: BAPS Swaminarayan temple in Toronto defaced with anti-India slogans
October: Board of the Shri Bhagwat Gita Park in Brampton vandalised.
