With Hinduphobia surfacing prominently in Canada, the Public Safety Department of Canada has issued a statement saying acts of aggression, hate, intimidation or incitement of fear have no place in the country.
The statement comes after Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) supremo Gurpatwant Singh Pannun issued a video threat asking Hindus to leave Canada for their pro India attitude.
Public Safety Canada, the department responsible for matters of public safety, emergency management, national security, and emergency preparedness, said the circulation of the video is offensive and hateful and is an affront to all Canadians and ‘the values we hold dearly’. “There is no place in Canada for hate,” it said in a post on X.
“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,” it added.
1/2 : 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.
— Public Safety Canada (@Safety_Canada) September 22, 2023
Canada’s public safety minister Dominic LeBlanc said all Canadians deserve to feel safe in their communities.
“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 posted on his official X.
Emergency preparedness minister Harjit Sajjan also expressed sentiments similar to those of LeBlanc.
“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 and kindness we hold dear as Canadians. Do not let others delegitimize or question your place and love for Canada”, he posted on his official X account.
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. 🇨🇦 https://t.co/BwzWN4MsAn
— Harjit Sajjan (@HarjitSajjan) September 22, 2023
However, the organisation Canadian Hindus for Harmony said that they wanted strict action against those behind the video while calling upon the Canadian government to act upon it promptly.
Meanwhile after levelling explosive allegations of the “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has refused to release any corroborative evidence regarding the same. He called on India to cooperate with an investigation saying government has both ‘human and signals intelligence’ in a months-long investigation to support allegations.
India has rejected the allegations as “absurd” and “motivated” and expelled a senior Canadian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move to Ottawa’s expulsion of an Indian official over the case. The visa services to country too have been suspended by India as they have declared Canada as safe haven for terrorists. While Trudeau is running to his closes allies of the ‘Five Eyes’ for the support, the US, the United Kingdom, Australia or New Zealand, none has sided with it so far.
Also read : Riding high on Trudeau’s support, Khalistani group SFJ now threatens Hindus in Canada
