Since Sunday, there have been violent riots in Brampton, near Toronto. How to explain this?
It all started with a demonstration by Sikhs, more precisely supporters of the independence of Khalistan, in front of a Hindu temple where Indian diplomats were present. Then, in retaliation, there was a march by Hindus, some of whom were armed, towards a Sikh place of worship. This march was, however, blocked by the police. Results: vandalized cars, stone throwing, beatings with sticks, injuries, including a police officer sent to hospital, arrests, the suspension of a police officer who participated in a demonstration, a mayor who threatened to ban demonstrations in front of places of worship and a worsening of the diplomatic crisis between Canada and India. Even the Indian Prime Minister got involved, denouncing the attack on a Hindu temple.
As this crisis affects all of Canada, why is it mainly in Brampton that violent riots break out? Maybe it’s because the population of this city comes 58% from the Indian subcontinent, or that it is 25% Sikh and 18% Hindu? But above all, because this strong immigration should have been accompanied by an equally strong integration policy, rather than a multiculturalism policy which encourages immigrants to keep their original identities intact. And it’s not just a distant federal policy because the mayor of Brampton is a radical multiculturalist, to the point where he was at the head of the movement of English-Canadian cities which illegally financed the challenge to Quebec’s law on secularism of the state.
In this context, Canadians of Indian origin can hardly be blamed for prioritizing the defense of their respective ethno-religious communities over the defense of social peace in Canada. After all, they are the first victims of the failure of Canadian multiculturalism.
