Ottawa: The World Sikh Organization of Canada (WSO) stated on August 1, 2021 that it was deeply troubled by recent hate attacks on Sikhs in Toronto and Peterborough as well as the alarming rise in online harassment of Sikhs across Canada.

On the evening of July 16, 2024, at approximately 9:55 PM Rupinder Singh was attacked and had his dastaar (turban) ripped off his head and stolen while returning home from the Scarborough Gurdwara Sahib located on Middlefield Rd. Just before reaching his house, Singh noticed a group of people in a car and an individual wearing a bike helmet talking to each other. The helmeted individual then began to follow Rupinder on the sidewalk, with the car trailing behind. As Rupinder approached his home, the individual suddenly snatched his dastaar from behind and ran towards the car before driving away swiftly. The car was described as a gold-white, 7-seater vehicle, possibly an older model of a Sienna. The perpetrators recorded the incident.

Rupinder Singh called 911 and police arrived on the scene. So far no arrests have been made.

In a similar incident on July 25, 2024 in East City Peterborough, Ontario, a Sikh man was spat on, had his dastaar knocked off and stomped on, and was hit in the head with a soda can. This incident is being classified as a hate crime by the Peterborough Police. The attack occurred at Hunter Street East and Mark Street, in East City, at 12:16 a.m., according to a police news release.

In an incident in Sudbury Ontario, a Sikh man was attacked and threatened with being run over by a pickup truck for wearing a kirpan.

Moreover, the WSO is alarmed by the nexus between Canadian right-wing hate groups and Indian nationalist social media accounts, which are amplifying and promoting anti-Sikh hate content online. This collaboration is creating a toxic environment that puts Sikhs at risk of further attacks.

Gurkeerat Singh, a Sikh photographer from Abbotsford, posted a picture of himself standing in Banff with the caption “Enjoying the beautiful views of Banff.” The post attracted shocking hateful and racist comments from both racist Canadian accounts and Indian nationalist accounts and had over 120,000 views. There have been many other similar examples on social media platforms.

WSO President Danish Singh stated today,

“We are deeply concerned by rising incidents of anti-Sikh hate and the proliferation of anti-Sikh rhetoric and images online. Sikhs are a very visible community due to their articles of faith, which makes them easy targets for hate attacks. We are seeing hateful messages targeting Sikhs online generated by ultra-right-wing groups in Canada, but these are being amplified and promoted by Indian nationalist social media accounts. We are concerned that the toxic environment being created could lead to further attacks on Sikhs. We will be communicating our concerns to law enforcement and expect them to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators of these crimes as soon as possible. We call on the community to report all hate or discrimination incidents to the proper authorities and also on the WSO website.”

The WSO has urged anyone who has experienced or witnessed hate or discrimination to report it to law enforcement and through the WSO website.