Sunday, July 9, 2023

Sikh leader's fatal shooting sparks protests in Toronto

CBS is reporting that "A few hundred members of Canada's Sikh community demonstrated outside the Indian consulate in Toronto on Saturday to protest the unsolved murder of one of their leaders last month in the Vancouver area. They accused the Indian government of being responsible for the gunning down of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, president of a Sikh temple and campaigner for the creation of an independent Sikh state that supporters hope to call Khalistan."

This is an interesting allegation that has merit. As I reported, Hardeep Singh Nijjar was fatally shot in Surrey and was actually the Temple president of one of the first and oldest Sikh temples in Surrey which has a very large Sikh community. It was somewhat bizarre to see counter protesters at that rally and shines a light on the toxic nature of the conflict. There's past history alright and it's tied to the intelligence community who fans the flames of the conflict on both sides.

Punjab is a small county in the North of India. There are holding nonbinding referendums within the Punjabi community in cities outside of India. Holding referendums is completely legal. Assassinating activists is not. I will say that since the territory involved is so small, it may be wishful thinking to separate and form your own country but it's pretty clear why they want to leave. Their concerns are valid. The Sikh genocide in India was real.

Burning the Canadian flag however is really offensive. It's not going to help your cause. That's what agent provocateurs do. It's also called displaced aggression.

Man shot dead outside Surrey's Guru Nanak Sikh Temple

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