Hate graffiti on road leading to Gurdwara in Canada draws fire

The incident occurred a day after a Sikh woman Jyoti Gondek was sworn in as the first female mayor of the city.

New Delhi: Spray painting of hate graffiti on the road leading to a Gurdwara in Calgary, Canada, has evoked sharp criticism from the Sikh bodies.

This comes a day after a Sikh woman Jyoti Gondek was sworn in as the first female mayor of the city.

While talking to media, Balpreet Singh, Legal Counsel, World Sikh Organization (WSO) of Canada said that the racist graffiti included insulting language directed at turbans.

“We condemn the racist vandalism on the road leading to the Sikh Society of Calgary,” he said, adding that this was for the second time that the Sikh society of Gurdwara had been targeted for racist graffiti. 

“In December 2016, the Gurdwara walls were defaced with a swastika and profanity,” he said.

The hate graffiti spray-painted on the road was directed at cows and turbans.

A resident of Calgary, Tejinder Singh Sidhu, who is also president of WSO, said  “It is disappointing to once again see racist vandalism at the Sikh society of Calgary Gurdwara. It’s ironic that the incident comes at a time when Alberta saw two Sikhs - Jyoti Gondek and Amarjeet Sohi - become the mayors of its two largest cities, Calgary and Edmonton, respectively.”

He said they were concerned by a rising number of hate-motivated crimes targeting Sikhs across Canada.

“We encourage community members to remain vigilant and report any such incidents to local authorities as well as to the WSO,” said Sidhu.

Reacting to the incident, the Calgary Police tweeted, “We are aware of the graffiti incident that occurred at the @DashmeshC. Our Diversity unit is working closely with the community. This action is unacceptable and we are committed to conducting a thorough investigation to hold the responsible parties accountable.”