There are more and more worries in Canada about hate crimes against Indian immigrants, especially those from the Sikh community. Hardeep Grewal, an Indo-Canadian Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Ontario, has publicly condemned the “alarming trend” after he and his family were targeted in a recent instance.
Hate directed toward lawmaker in Muskoka
On social media site X, MPP Grewal talked about his unpleasant experience, which happened recently in the beautiful central Ontario town of Muskoka:
The Incident: Grewal said that as he was eating ice cream with his family, “two strangers decided to share their hate instead.” Someone yelled, “Hey turban head, go home,” and then drove off. Someone else who was walking by said, “You all should die.”
The Impact: Grewal said the event was a strong reminder that “the fight against hate is far from over,” and that the ongoing bigotry was “exhausting and painful.” He sent a message of support to his community: “To my Sikh brothers and sisters, stay strong, stay proud, and stay alert. Hate never prevails. Good will always win.
Wider targeting of the Indian community
Grewal’s incident is similar to several well-known racist acts that have happened in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA):
In late September, people in Mississauga, a town in the Greater Toronto Area, saw graffiti that said “Indian rats” spray-painted on a wall close to a children’s park. This is part of a larger trend of targeting the Indian community, which is the largest and most prominent group of recent immigrants.
Things that make people hate foreigners and how the police react
Experts and community leaders say that a mix of economic and political causes has led to an increase in anti-immigrant feelings:
Shinder Purewal, a political science professor at Kwantlen Polytechnic College in British Columbia, said that during “economic downturns,” people who are underemployed or unemployed are more likely to have “right-wing racial views.” He said that it’s easier to blame immigrants for problems like “stealing Canadian jobs and driving up housing and rental costs” than to deal with complicated economic concerns.
Political Influence: Naresh Chavda, the founding director of the National Alliance of Indo-Canadians (NAIC), said that the rise in racism was caused by the anti-immigrant policies of US President Donald Trump’s administration.
Visibility of Sikhs: Purewal said that Indians are “obvious targets” since there are more of them, while Sikhs “stand out because of their external markers,” making them an even “easy target.”
Change in Public Opinion: Canada used to be one of the most welcoming Western countries for immigrants, but now there is a lot of anti-immigration attitude. A recent poll by Leger for the Association for Canadian Studies indicated that a large 60% of people who answered said the country didn’t need any additional immigrants.
The Peel Regional Police (PRP), which covers a lot of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), announced the creation of a centralized Hate Crime Unit to “relentlessly pursue and hold those who commit hate crimes accountable” in response to the troubling trend.