Washington: A reputed US-based Hindu organization has urged Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Indian-origin leader Jagmeet Singh not to compare the ‘swastika’ with the Nazi symbol ‘Huckenkreuz’. Mass protests are taking place in Canada these days against COVID-19 vaccination and global pandemic restrictions.
Protesters led by truck drivers have blocked trucks in the Canadian capital Ottawa and blocked the route from Canada to the US in several places. To deal with this situation, Canada had to implement a law of emergency. Jagmeet Singh had tweeted on February 2 that the swastika “has no place in Canada”.
He wrote, “We have a responsibility to keep the people of all our communities safe. It’s time to ban hate symbols in Canada. At the same time, we have to ensure that hatred does not arise in the society.” Both Trudeau and Jagmeet Singh had made statements in recent days accusing protesters of “waving swastikas”.
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An organization called ‘Hindupact’ has reacted to this. The Hindupact urged Trudeau and New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Jagmeet Singh not to compare the “swastika” with the Nazi symbol “Huckenkreuz”. The Swastika is considered an ancient and auspicious symbol for Hindus, Buddhist followers, Sikhs and many other communities around the world.
Utsav Chakraborty, executive director, Hindupact, said, “We believe that this false rhetoric will create a feeling of hatred against Hindus and Sikhs. Six Hindu temples were vandalized and looted in Canada in the last one month alone. The Hindu organization urged Trudeau to respect the right of people to protest peacefully.
Chakraborty said, “I am sorry for the news coming in about the protests in Canada and the harsh methods and measures being adopted to suppress them. The situation there is extremely worrying and we are all very concerned for our families and friends.” The Hindu organization said that the right to peaceful protest is a fundamental right in any democracy. The announcement of an emergency order to suppress voices of dissent in Canada is a sad example. (agency)