Calgary: The World Sikh Organization of Canada condemns the racist vandalism of the Sikh Society of Calgary that took place early on Thursday morning. The racist graffiti included a swastika and profanity.
In January 2015, a gurdwara in Edmonton was spray-painted with racist graffiti and earlier this year, racist-anti Sikh posters were posted at the University of Alberta.
Some of the graffiti spray painted on the Sikh Society of Calgary building. (Source: CBC)
WSO Vice President for Alberta, and Calgary resident, Tejinder Singh Sidhu said, “while we are saddened to see the racist vandalism of the Sikh Society of Calgary, it comes at a time when we are seeing racist, Islamophobic and anti-Semitic vandalism in several places across Canada. These deplorable acts are motivated by ignorance and all Canadians must stand in solidarity to ensure that racist and discriminatory rhetoric is loudly rejected. The Sikh community has always responded to such incidents with education and outreach and we will be doing so again this time with the support and cooperation of the local community.”
The WSO encourages community members to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activity around gurdwaras to the authorities.