WSO Condemns Racist Flyers Targeting Brampton Sikhs!
BRAMPTON – Sikhs in this metro-Toronto city are outraged by a racist flyer that decries the changing face of Brampton, Ontario.
The flyer, titled “The Changing Face of Brampton,” shows two pictures: one of a group comprised mostly of white people, the other of Sikhs.
In between the pictures it states, “Consider this: according to 2001 Census City of Brampton, Mainstream Canadians made up 59.6 per cent of Brampton’s social fabric. In 2011, it dropped to 32.9 per cent. What will the Census findings be in five, 10, or even 15 years from now?”
The flyer then asks, “Is this really what you want?” and provides a link to the website for Immigration Watch Canada, a group that is pushing to reduce the country’s intake of immigrants, reported Huffington Post.
It is unclear when and where the flyer was distributed.
The material was flagged by several users on social media after it was tweeted by user @DemiCaruso on Tuesday morning, with users reacting to it right into Wednesday night.
The World Sikh Organization of Canada condemned the racist flyers and the racist group called “Immigration Watch Canada” which is targeting the Sikh community in Brampton. .
Brampton is home to a large Sikh population. According to the 2011 Census results, approximately 19 per cent of the Brampton population reported their religion as Sikh.
WSO Ontario President and Brampton resident, Prabhmeet Singh Sarkaria said, “these flyers are the work of an isolated fringe group and don’t reflect the view of the vast majority of Bramptonians or Canadians. Canada is an example of how diversity and multiculturalism can work so beautifully. This is an opportunity for all of us to stand together and say that this type of message is not welcome in Canada.”
The flyers come at a time when Sikhs celebrate Vaisakhi or the foundation of the Order of the Khalsa in 1699. The Province of Ontario and also the City of Brampton have both declared the month of April as “Sikh Heritage Month”.
WSO President Dr. Amritpal Singh Shergill said, “the flyers are an example of ignorance and fear-mongering. Despite Immigration Watch Canada’s claims, Sikhs are proudly “mainstream” Canadians. We have been in Canada for well over 100 years and Sikhs are an integral part of their communities in Brampton and across Canada. We are Canadians. Period.”
This isn’t the first time that material targeting the city’s Sikh community has caused a stir on social media.
In 2012, a teen’s rant against Indian people on YouTube was savaged online, generating several angry responses.
She later faced death threats and her father said she regretted making it, The Toronto Star reported.
Then in 2013, a Forum Research poll for the Brampton Guardian and The Mississauga News found that 59 per cent (about 431,000) of the Peel region’s visible-minority residents had experienced racism in their community.
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