We put all of India's forms of transnational repression against Sikh Canadians on the public record.
I was honoured to be given the opportunity by WSO, OGC, & BCGC at the Public Inquiry on Foreign Interference to do so.
The response has been tremendous. Here's the full video.
WSO Director Jaskaran Sandhu's powerful testimony yesterday, on behalf of the coalition of Sikh groups, at the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference attracted wide news coverage across Canada.
The WSO, BC Gurdwaras Council, and Ontario Gurdwaras Committee are representing
No country can have a good faith relationship with India. Today marks a significant shift for not only India-Canada relations, but the way the world will see the tyrannical Indian govt.
Killing Sikh Canadians on Canadian soil is an affront to our rights & international law.
The assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar is not just a Canada-India issue, it's a global one.
As America and other Five Eyes allies give Canada support, we are looking at the tip of the iceberg as far as geopolitical fallout goes for this Indian aggression and crime.
Sikh & Punjabi journalists, writers, thinkers, & doers:
A couple of us have been working on starting an online platform for community commentary on current affairs & debates for Sikhs & Punjabis across the diaspora.
Planning to launch in Jan 2021.
Interested? Shoot me a DM!
This is a historic moment. A confirmation of what Sikhs have known for months. India has assassinated a Sikh Canadian in Canada for peacefully practicing his rights.
This is foreign interference to the extreme. An attack on our people and values. Our government must answer.
BREAKING | PM
@JustinTrudeau
confirms today in Parliament that Canadian intelligence believes that the Indian state was involved in the unprecedented assassination of Canadian Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil.
Trudeau called extrajudicial actions by India a serious
Nishan Sahib goes up at Red Fort
Godi media sends disinfo
BJP emboldened, overplay hand
Journalist write about new BJP abuse
BJP pick up journalists
International media picks up story
Rihanna tweets story
Internet breaks
world paying attention
So, Nishan Sahib wins again
Here's the truth. India's lying.
Their juvenile response to Canada's accusations exposes a deeper insecurity. They know where this is going. And it's only going to get crazier.
They assassinated a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil. And Canada has the evidence. Keep watching.
Indians love making this comparison as if it's some gotcha, but completely miss that Quebec has had two full blown referendums, is still allowed to freely advocate for self determination, has not had a genocide committed against it by the Canadian govt.
India on the other hand
#Khalistan
is to
#India
, what
#Quebec
Sovereignty Movement is to
#Canada
. How would Canada react to any foreign nation who sympathize or support the Quebec separatism? Just asking!
Welcome to the wonderful world of Indian disinfo!
From a guest spitting random manufactured rumours on unhinged Indian TV, to IT cells, to the Canadian press.
If they are doing this with the Canadian Prime Minister, imagine what they're doing with the Sikh Canadian community.
The Sikh Empire fell ~70 years before this picture.
Partition would happen ~30 years after this picture.
I think about this shot often. Why were these men fighting far from home? Who were they fighting for? Celebrating their personal sacrifices & bravery.
#RemembranceDay
No Sikh should silently allow right wing trolls or Indian liberals to slander Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.
It's our history and our story too share.
They can try to demonize Sikhs. Scaremonger & distort truth. But we know what our people's struggle has & continues to be.
It's neat how much of what the world celebrates & likes about "India" is actually mostly Punjabi culture or Sikhi.
Cuisine, music, dance, film, literature, military feats, athletics, fashion, weddings, good-looks, warmth, charity, fiber optics, +
๐ Influence.
It's really
Canadian Punjabi singer, Karan Aujla, performed at the
@TheJUNOAwards
in Halifax today. The JUNO's are Canada's annual music awards event.
Both Karan Aujla and Shubh are nominated for awards, as the Punjabi music scene continues to grow and gain mainstream global success.
I'm really tired of the Brampton slander in general, but especially over COVID.
We're a diverse and rapidly growing working-class town y'all love to point at & laugh, with a nice hint of racism on the side, but we keep on working and dying doing the jobs no one else wants.
๐งต
I will provide probono legal advice and guidance to any youth participating in solidarity
#FarmersProtest
rallies in Canada that are approached by
@PeelPolice
or any other force. Feel free to share this message to anyone who may need it, even for basic questions. My DMs are open.
One thing we've kind of lost sight of is that Hardeep Singh Nijjar was assassinated by India at a Gurdwara. Killing him at a Sikh place of worship was intentional. They didn't just want to kill Nijjar but strike the Sikhs where they should feel safest.
Thank you Brampton
Brampton City Council and Mayor
@patrickbrownont
spoke in support of the Sikh community against Indian foreign interference.
They also highlighted how Hardeep Singh Nijjar was assassinated by India at a Gurdwara. Sikhs should not fear Indian violence at their places of worship.
Mr. Anand, have you ever put out a statement or tweet in commemoration of the 1984 Sikh Genocide? It doesn't appear so.
If you want Sikhs & Hindus to come together, as you say here, it starts by acknowledging what happened & how Sikhs remember it. 1984 was religious persecution.
Killing baby is a heinous crime, unacceptable, unforgivable. Iโm deeply disturbed by this sign, painting all Hindus as mob. Being Hindu Iโm not raised or trained to be killer, NOW is time for
#Hindus
#Sikhs
to come together & denounce people dividing community. STOP
#HinduPhobia
The many conservative talking heads mocking
@JustinTrudeau
for standing up to Modi are on the wrong side of that dynamic & issue.
Modi's Hindu Nationalist government is dangerous, autocratic, & interferes in Canada to a violent degree.
You'll all regret taking India's side.
The insecurity of India knows no bounds.
The mere sight of Sikhs with Shastars at the Darbar Sahib Complex, which is perfectly aligned with Sikhi, is enough to trigger genocidal musings.
The mere mention of Punjab's rights and grievances is enough to call for state violence.
Khalistani fetish for Bhindrawale has finally created another one after three decades of fanticizing about him. Scenes in Golden Temple premises have begun to resemble those from 1984. This video is enough to inform everyone about the gravity of developing situation in Punjab.
Police going to be stopping brown and black folks, from places like Brampton, driving to the essential jobs no one wants to do. If it wasn't already dangerous enough being a racialized minority during COVID.
Sikhs in Canada, and across the diaspora, are watching the suppression of civil & democratic rights in Punjab with 3 general things in mind.
Worry for loved ones, further proof that minorities have no rights in India, & how countries like Canada must shape their foreign policy.
I've been watching with growing concern as Anthony, someone I know, live tweets his increasingly troubling thoughts - including this one targeting other communities, such as Sikhs, on which he has, at best, a basic understanding.
I do get why he's angry.
Visuals of recent
1. Punjab is nation. ๐ฎ๐ณ is a country
2. Punjabi is an ethnicity. Indian is not
3. Punjab transcends int. borders
4. Fact: we have more in common w/ "๐ต๐ฐ" Punjabis than we do with the rest of ๐ฎ๐ณ
5. ๐ฎ๐ณ is a modern construct of arbitrary borders as a result of colonialism
I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis 10 yrs ago.
90% of the people I know, incl family & friends, have no idea.
I kept it mostly to myself, but as I got the COVID vaccine yesterday due to being at high risk it really has me reflecting on why + issue of vaccine hesitancy
๐งต
This shut down was the exception tonight.
Gurdwaras across Brampton & Peel held Diwali programs during what's a major holiday for Sikhs while maintaining COVID rules. Including at the largest & busiest sites.
That should be the story.
Also it's called a Gurdwara, not a temple
South Asians and families who come from India, regardless of religion, will share the sentiment that it was difficult to hear the Prime Ministerโs statement yesterday. This is a time to let the legal process continue as it must. Let us all remain calm, unified, and empathetic.
When
#DelhiChalo
started many farmers spoke of the history of Baghel Singh. They spoke of marching onto Delhi, of Sikh history, of fighting for justice.
What we're witnessing today is historical. On India's Republic Day it is the Nishan Sahib waving over the Red Fort once again.
That painting is of Sikh Shaheeds. In the face of multiple genocides, we raised arms in resistance, crushed our enemies, and carved our identity. Hindu Nationalist always try to appropriate our history because they wished it was theirs. Don't let them.
Primary sources & verifiable documentation proves Hindus have suffered like Jews over centuries of theological & ethnic hatred including mass murder, beheading babies, burning or starving families etc.
Hindu trans generational trauma response was self hate, pacifism & turning
The Republic is a popular Indian TV channel that's very close to the Modi government. Here they talk about how India has 10 submarines and will nuke Canada.
This is the typical insane Indian media discourse. This is how they are not only portraying Canada, but themselves too.
Punjab CM
@BhagwantMann
is facing heat for providing an update on the suppression of Punjab's civil liberties and democratic rights in Hindi.
An ANI mic is the sole media source visible as well, an outlet that has been found to run Indian state propaganda & disinfo in the past.
Look, while it's amazing when other communities stand in solidarity with Sikhs or Punjabis, our seva/fighting tyranny on behalf of others/etc is not transactional in nature.
We do it because it's the right thing to do, not because we are seek reciprocity.
That's revolutionary.
Why is
@NatashaFatah
bringing on pro-Modi talking heads like
@AdityaRajKaul
with a history of spreading fake news, disinfo, and Anti-Sikh rhetoric against Sikh Canadians? The
@CBCNews
doesn't need agents of Indian propaganda broadcasting into Canadian homes.
Friends, I think we broke the Indian propaganda machine and IT Cells if this is the best they can come up with at this point.
#DelhiChalo
#FarmerProtests
I've never watched more national Indian media primetime TV as I have had over the last 6 months or so, and I have to say I'm much dumber for it.
How do people consume such hyperbolic, screaming, obnoxious garbage day in and day out?
This is some embarrassing fake news from the
@republic
in regards to Raman Brar.
1/ Raman is not a "Conservative MP" - he ran in the last election & lost. Raman is a private citizen.
2/ Raman is not a "Canadian Opposition Leader" - that is Erin O'Toole and Jagmeet Singh.
Modi billboards in Toronto were put up by Hindu Forum Canada, a Hindutva organization ran by a guy that was convicted for immigration fraud. Indian media also doing its part with disinfo on the origins of these signs.
@iJasOberoi
reports in
@BaazNewsOrg
We will never forget the 1984 Sikh Genocide. We will never forget the countless lives lost in 1984 and beyond. We will never forget our Shaheeds that stood and defended our people against death and tyranny.
#NeverForget1984
#TheyLiveHere
#SikhGenocide1984
Deep Sidhu is a Sikh hero. The outpouring of love from every corner of the Sikh community proves it. His legacy will live on and through the countless Sikhs he has inspired, from the
#FarmersProtest
and beyond.
Thousands upon thousands reached Fatehgarh Sahib today for
#DeepSidhu
's Antim Ardas.
It is not often that we see the kind of numbers witnessed today for final prayers. Sikhs commemorated the life of Sidhu and remember his unapologetic calls for Sikh justice & sovereignty.
Let's be clear about one thing, for Amritdhari Sikhs keeping a Kirpan is non-negotiable.
Modifying or changing it to make it more palatable for others is unacceptable.
There are many examples of how countries like Australia can avoid knee jerk reactions. Dont excuse them.
It is official -
@BaazNewsOrg
, the new home for opinions, ideas and original reporting for the Sikh Diaspora is now live!
Please go follow us and become a subscriber.
We have a lot of great content coming through today and onwards.
In chardi kala!
Or, India killed a Canadian on Canadian soil & that's very illegal & bad?
The fuck kind of dumb ass tweet & take is this
@TerryGlavin
? Twisting yourself into a pretzel to avoid the unfortunate truth that you've been on the wrong side of Indian interference from day 1. Shame.
.
@diljitdosanjh
becomes the first Punjabi music artist and third artist of Punjabi Sikh heritage to perform at
@coachella
.
Based in California, USA, Coachella is one of the world's largest and most famous music festivals.
Okay, so, if the Indian media is claiming that Joginder Bassi is a Khalistani, then that means everyone is a Khalistani. But if everyone is a Khalistani, then India can no longer claim Khalistan is a fringe movement that no Sikh wants.
So what we having, India? Come on baby.
You missed the following (via CBC):
1๏ธโฃ. Mid-August: Canada's National Security & Intelligence Adviser Jody Thomas was in India to discuss in PRIVATE
2๏ธโฃ. Early-Sept: Jody Thomas meets India again in PRIVATE
3๏ธโฃ. Sept 9-10 (G20): Meetings between Trudeau & Modi in PRIVATE
"In a
One reason why some Indians mock Sikhs in the West for working in trucking & trades is because their minds are corrupted with the Hindu caste system. Thankfully, Guru Nanak liberated us from such thinking. Honest living building some of the biggest companies in the sectors ๐๐ฝ
This stuff just demonizes a minority group that often faces discrimination in this country already, including in Quebec.
Framing like this is done on purpose. The image, the words, it's all trying to elicit a very harmful emotion from readers. This is not an innocent accident.
The front page of a Montreal newspaper showing
@JustinTrudeau
dressed in traditional Indian clothing amid concerns over variants is sparking criticism.
The headline in the Journal de Montrรฉal, translated from French reads, โThe Indian variant has arrivedโ
You know what the difference is between the noble Sikhs & the loser Hindu Nationalists?
Canadian Sikhs put up a $10k reward for info re: Mandir vandalisms.
Hindu Nationalists? $0
Don't even have CCTV footage as cameras magically stop working. No leads. Same pattern globally.
Itโs sad but not surprising that
#Khalistani
apologist media resort to conspiracy theorism to deflect from a Mandir vandalismโapparently done in Khalistanโs name.
On Day 0, the right response is always that itโs wrong and you condemn itโwhoever did it.
Some folks are really working the OT to strip the
#FarmerProtests
of its Sikh spirit.
If it wasn't for Sikhi the march would have halted at the border of Haryana & never become
#DelhiChalo
.
We don't have to erase our history & story to make things palatable for people.
Zee (Godi) News took a shot at the
@BaazNewsOrg
team.
All that means is what we are doing is working. The opinions, ideas, & reporting we are publishing are important.
Thanks to all the early supporters that are making this thing real.
There is power in telling our own story.
Lets play a game!
1st pic is from the Calgary Stampede
Next 2 are from an NHL game
4th pic is from Toronto Nagar Kirtan
Only 1 of these 4 got the
@TarekFatah
racist/offensive tweet, mainstream media coverage, & public outrage combo treatment
100pts if you pick the right one!
With the disturbing rise of Sikh Genocide denial, it's time for Brampton to build a Sikh Genocide Memorial. As home to many Sikhs that have been impacted by the genocidal violence, it's upon us to ensure the memories of those lost are not erased by Anti-Sikh forces.
#TheyLiveHere
MYTH: "Khalistanis harassment/attacks on Hindu Canadians is well-documented & widespread."
FACT: This is just patently false, Sikhs and Hindus get along well, & the "Hinduphobia" petition must be scrutinized.
1โฃ Hate Crimes - While national statistics do not provide specific
I would urge every Canadian citizen to sign this Parliamentary petition (sponsored by
@MelissaLantsman
) to push back against anti-Hindu rhetoric and action in Canada.
Khalistanis harassment/attacks on Hindu Canadians is well-documented and widespread.
Sikhs everywhere should be standing in support of and in solidarity with Tamils over what they are going through at the hands of an oppressive Sri Lankan government.
A lot of similarities between India and Sri Lanka. A lot of similarities in our respective struggles.
BREAKING โ Authorities destroying Mullivaikkal memorial at Jaffna University
A monument paying tribute to the tens of thousands of Tamils massacred by the Sri Lankan state at the University of Jaffna is currently being bulldozed by authorities.
Was going to reply with "what kind of juvenile and nonsensical response is that to a factual rebuttal?" until I saw this guy's bio says "Journalist,
@IndiaToday
." ๐ซ
Says the man that was just defending the Indian government's autocratic and tyrannical extraterritorial and extrajudicial murder of a Canadian on Canadian soil.
Shocked to learn of the raids on 30 journalists in Delhi and arrests of several of them. These are not the actions of a โmother of democracyโ but of an insecure and autocratic state. Why does a government as strong & authoritarian as this one is, feel threatened by a news
It is actually very disappointing that some Canadian conservative talking heads hate Trudeau so much that they are willing to excuse "transnational repressions" and an assault on Canadian sovereignty by giving a despotic India the benefit of the doubt in all of this.
Human
BREAKING | US Secretary of State
@SecBlinken
shares that America is coordinating & consulting on Canada's investigation into India & wants to see India "work with the Canadians" & show "accountability".
"We are extremely vigilant about any instances of alleged transnational
India thought it was so slick assassinating Sikh citizens of other countries. Instead, they're bumbling evil idiots, leaving breadcrumbs everywhere, from America to Canada, exposing themselves for what they really are. Not a "democratic ally", for starters.
Tip of the iceberg.
BREAKING | "US authorities thwarted a conspiracy to assassinate a Sikh separatist on American soil & issued a warning to Indiaโs government over concerns it was involved in the plot," Financial Times reports.
The target was SFJ's Gurpatwant Pannun.
Aside from a diplomatic
This is really powerful coming from the Prime Minister. This is the power of the diaspora speaking up for their family and friends in Punjab. This is the power of advocacy. International scrutiny is important.
And yes, we'll continue to go "drink maple syrup" too.
Tonight at an online event commemorating Sri Guru Nanak Dev Jiโs Gurpurab,
@JustinTrudeau
expressed concerns about the right to peaceful protest and the
#ChaloDelhi
campaign in India. He confirmed that Canada has raised the issue with Indian authorities.
It's healthy to operate with a certain degree of skepticism on stuff like this. Is it real or not? I definitely do.
However, it's time for all to accept that Amritpal Singh has for now pulled off one of the most heroic & greatest escapes ever & is in Chardi Kala.
Full video โคต๏ธ
For the record, there's nothing wrong with:
Being a Khalistani
Believing Sikhs have a right to self-determination
Having a debate on Khalistan
Recognizing the Sikh history of soveriengty
There's, however, something wrong with how the Indian state abuses fundamental rights.
Indians have lost the plot in trying to compare Pannun with Bin Laden to justify their rogue actions:
๐นOsama's crime was 9/11
๐ธPannun's "crime" is a non-binding referendum
๐นOsama was hiding in Afghanistan/Pakistan
๐ธPannun is a US citizen living in the US
๐นDemocratic
The way Biden admin is protecting terrorists like Pannu, day is not far when US Navy SEALS would be tried for killing Osama Bin Laden and all the characters in the President Obamaโs situation room watching OBLโs killing may be used as witness against them. This is burden of
Look, in a tyrannical country like India, that throws Sikhs into jail indefinitely on arbitrary or nonexistent grounds under colonial laws, they believe in guilty until proven innocent. This is hard for countries like Canada, that actually believe in the rule of law, to wrap
Why is India not cooperating in an investigation after Prime Minister Trudeau alleged India may be involved in the killing of a Sikh separatist leader on Canadian soil?
Indiaโs High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma joins
@ctvqp
for his first TV interview since the
The hilariously sad thing about India's arguments on why Hardeep Singh Nijjar was "fair game" is that their entire claim is based on disinformation.
There never was an "arms training camp" in Canada. The video used to "prove" it is not even of Nijjar.
That's India for you.
Indian leaks seem largely designed to explain why Nijjar was fair game. "In December 2015, Hardeep Nijjar organized an arms training camp in...Canada. He imparted training to Mandeep Singh Dhaliwal and other youth in firing AK-47s, sniper rifles & pistols"
Punjabis and Sikhs are either:
- Indian heroes when they are winning games, collecting medals, and being victorious in wars.
Or
- Anti-national terrorists when they ask for basic rights & protest for their livelihoods.
Appropriated, erased, or maligned.
Every. Single. Time.
Call it the Modi Variant, not the Indian Variant.
The latter demonizes a diverse group of people that already face regular discrimination.
The former, however, correctly calls out the leader that made the decisions that have allowed things to spiral out of control in India.
@DeepakAnandMPP
@rubysahotalib
How do you, in a single tweet, call it the Sikh Genocide and then also say that the crimes of 1984 had nothing to do with "religion or culture"?
Absolutely stunning levels of denial.
We should be incredibly concerned by the foreign interference from
@HCI_Ottawa
in spreading fake news about the Shri Bhagavad Gita Park. Ugly disinformation that was also used by
@AryaCanada
to divide communities in Brampton. As a councillor I'll always fight this nonsense here.
BREAKING |
@PeelPolice
confirm that the Shri Bhagavad Gita Park was not vandalized.
Both
@HCI_Ottawa
&
@AryaCanada
shared fake news about the non-incident including attempting to spread false claims of "hate crimes" & alleged "anti-Hindu"/"anti-India" groups.
Bhangra has nothing to do with Sikh heritage.
The goal of
#SikhHeritageMonth
is, funny enough, to combat misconceptions such as conflating Punjabi culture with Sikhi. This is a great example of it.
Sikhs are often very annoyed by this conflation. CBC needs to do better.
The way in which our Gurdwaras continue to honour our history & Shaheeds is so beautiful.
Installations like this one in a Langar Hall connect our people to our past, so that we can understand the present & plan for the future with a compass.
In a digital age, it is physical
"Now I believe that today when darkness, with all its strength, thrusts itself over the truth, if not anything else I will say ankhila Punjab is the light that will challenge it"
- Shaheed Jaswant Singh Khalra
What we witnessed on Sept 18 makes clear that Khalistan and the advocacy around it is not "fringe" nor is it something that "no one cares about". What the referendum did, if nothing else, is torpedo the argument that the issue of Sikh sovereignty is a dead one. What a turnout.
Only surprising if we forget that the Congress was responsible for the 1984 Sikh Genocide.
Sikhs have no allies in India.
We must stand united against Indian aggression and attacks on our sovereignty.
An MP of India's official opposition (Congress) is saying that carrying out alleged assassinations in other countries (Canada) should be "uncompromising" as long as it protects India's sovereignty and best interests.
This is quite the statement from the Congress party.
Sikhs around the world are celebrating a Darbar Sahib volunteer for stopping the entry of a disrespectful visitor that refused to comply with the rules of conduct at the Complex.
Only the Nishan Sahib should be displayed, as the space is one of Sikh sovereignty & authority.
This crisis isn't about "vote bank politics". Just absurd.
The PM wouldn't make a statement like he did in Parliament if it wasn't backed by hard intel. Too much at stake, from reputations to intelligence to geopolitics.
This is about India attacking Canada's sovereignty.
BIG:
#Khalistan
vote bank politics playing out in the worst way in
#Canada
. This was brewing for a while .
#Trudeau
probably goes public now for two reasons - dressing down in India over patronage of these groups & his low popularity numbers ahead of polls
#HardeepSinghNijjar