Canada’s Foreign Minister Melanie Joly. Photo- AFP
Toronto: Canada’s foreign minister Melanie Joly condemned the defacing of the Hindu temple in Brampton on Monday.
In a tweet on Tuesday, Melanie said, “Everyone should be able to practice their faith in peace, free from violence and intimidation.”
“I stand with Hindu communities in denouncing the vandalism at Gauri Shankar Mandir in Brampton,” she said, adding, “We have a collective responsibility to denounce hateful acts”, which have no place in Canada.
Joly led other Canadian politicians in criticising the desecration of temple located in the town of Brampton.
Sonia Sidhu, MP of the ruling Liberal Party, said she was “concerned about an act of vandalism and hate” at the temple.
Many prominent people and senior politicians condemned the incident including Liberal Party MP Chandra Arya.
“The attack of Gauri Shankar Mandir in Brampton is latest in attacks on Hindu temples in Canada by anti-Hindu and anti-India groups. From hatred on social media, now physical attacks on Hindu temples, what next? I call on govt at levels in Canada to start taking this seriously,” Arya tweeted.
Brampton mayor Patrick Brown had also condemned what he described as a “hateful act of vandalism” and a “hate crime.”
Last year, the Ministry of External Affairs had pointed out there has been a sharp rise in “hate crime” and “anti Indian activities” in Canada.
The Canadian authorities have started an investigation into the incident. A banned terror organisation Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) and other Khalistani groups are suspected to be involved in the incident.
According to data released by Statistics Canada last year, Canada has experienced a steep rise in hate crimes targeting religion, sexual orientation and race in the last few years.
Canada has witnessed a 72 per cent jump in its hate crime rate between 2019 and 2021, said Statistics Canada.
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