Kamal Ghorui
Screengrab of the racist attack on Sikh man in Woodstock, Canada
A youth has been charged in Canada after a disturbing video showed an elderly Sikh man being verbally abused, threatened and assaulted in a hate-motivated incident in Woodstock, Ontario.Woodstock police say the incident happened on Wednesday at around 11:35 am on Knights Lane near Turtle Island School. The elderly man was walking along a sidewalk when he was approached by the young man.“The investigation determined that a youth unprovokedly assaulted an elderly individual who was walking on a sidewalk. The youth targeted the victim based on their ethnicity, while yelling racially charged comments and obscenities,” a police release said.Videos circulating online, which police confirm are part of the investigation, show the youth repeatedly shouting racist abuse, including, “What the f**k are you doing in my country?” He can also be heard repeatedly using the N-word, pushing the man at times, and saying, “You ain’t from here, get the f**k out of my country,” “I will beat the f**k out of you,” and “I will kill you (N-word).” The youth is also seen mocking the man’s accent.The victim was identified as Shingara Singh and told OMNI News he was on his way to a Gurdwara when the incident took place. Despite the ordeal, he said his message is one of peace and patience.“It’s our responsibility to follow the rules of the country we are living in. We have been told here that we can’t raise our hands to fight back, we have to be patient unless an extreme situation arises,” he said.Police say the victim was not injured. They added that after the assault, the youth jumped a fence onto school property before leaving the area. He was later arrested and charged with uttering threats causing death or bodily harm, and criminal harassment, threatening conduct.Woodstock Police Constable Pritpal Thind said the incident has deeply affected the community. “It is a very difficult moment for the victim and as well as the community witnessing something like this,” he told OMNI News.The World Sikh Organization of Canada also condemned the attack.“We are deeply concerned by a video circulating online showing an elderly Sikh man being harassed in Woodstock, Ontario. This is unacceptable,” the organisation said.Their recent national report found that more than 80 per cent of Sikh respondents believe discrimination and hate against Sikhs has increased over the past five years, with verbal harassment being the most common form of abuse. A separate report by the Institute of Strategic Dialogue also noted a rise in anti-South Asian hate speech in Canada, raising concerns about the safety of visible minority communities and international students.
