Over Seas
Toronto Police say ‘Racist’ Brampton flyer is ‘perfectly legal’
May 11, 2014 | By Sikh Siyasat Bureau
Toronto, Canada (May 11, 2014): An anti-immigration flyer that sparked outrage for singling out the Sikh community when it was distributed in Brampton last month is “racist and offensive” Toronto police admit but does not warrant hate crimes charges, reported Toronto Star.
A flyer that sparked outrage for singling out the Sikh community when it was distributed in Brampton last month is “racist and offensive” but does not warrant hate crimes charges, Peel Regional Police say.
“We understand the deep hurt and harm incidents such as this cause our community,” police said in a statement released Thursday in announcing no charges would be laid. After an investigation and consultations with the Peel Crown Attorney’s Office, police said the contents of the flyer did not meet the legal threshold for hate crime charges.
The flyer is entitled “The Changing Face of Brampton” and shows a photograph of an all-white group with the caption “From this” above a photo of a group of Sikhs, with the caption “To this.”
Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne responded to the statement from police on Thursday evening and said the absence of formal charges made the flyers “no less repulsive,”.
“I was proud to stand with the people of Brampton in bringing forward a motion in the Ontario Legislature to officially condemn the flyers, defend the vibrancy of Brampton and our Sikh community, and uphold our values as Ontarians. There’s no place for the politics of division in Ontario,” she wrote in an email to the Star.
Wynne, along with a range of groups, called the leaflet “hateful” when it was handed out to Brampton residents.
The decision to not pursue charges was also condemned by members of the Sikh community. Brampton Sikh activist Gurmeet Singh said Immigration Watch, the group behind the flyer, had committed a hate crime and said other immigrants would now come under their crosshairs.
“In my opinion, they should have been prohibited to use this flyer,” he said. “They are targeting the Sikh community at this time, but they will now be targeting other groups. They can be targeting anyone coming from anywhere. This is a hate crime.”
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Related Topics: Sikh News Canada, Sikhs in Brampton, Sikhs in Ontario
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