(OTTAWA) Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says she’s concerned for the safety of Indian diplomats following what she calls “unacceptable” posters announcing protests Saturday in the Toronto and Vancouver areas.
The posters add to a series of incidents in recent weeks that have heightened tensions between Ottawa and New Delhi over Sikh separatists living in Canada.
Saturday’s protests are held in memory of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was shot and killed June 18 outside his temple in Surrey, British Columbia. Mr. Nijjar, who ran this temple, was a fierce opponent of India and a staunch supporter of an independent Sikh state.
A temple volunteer, Gurkeerat Singh, said that on the day he was murdered, Mr. Nijjar gave a speech at the temple and received warnings from Canadian intelligence officials about his safety.
A year ago, the Indian government offered a reward of 1 million rupees, or around $16,000, for information that could lead to Mr Nijjar’s arrest. It was enough for some to claim that his death was the result of foreign interference. But the police say they did not find during their investigation any clues that could link India to his assassination.
The two protests scheduled for Saturday end outside the local Indian consulate. Posters announcing the events on social media include photos of the Indian High Commissioner to Canada and the Consul General of each city, presented as the “faces of the Nijjar killers”. It also reads “kill India”.
In a Twitter post on Monday evening, Minister Joly writes that Canada takes the safety of foreign diplomats “very seriously” and remains in contact with Indian authorities “following unacceptable promotional material circulating online” about Saturday’s protests. . “We know that the actions of some are not representative of an entire community or of Canada,” added the Minister.
Sharing the publication of her colleague Joly, the Minister of National Defense, Anita Anand, adds that “the promotional material circulating online […] is unacceptable and does not represent Canadians”.
“Canada will continue to ensure the safety of foreign diplomats in this country — and we take that responsibility seriously,” she concludes.
Irritants on both sides
New Delhi has long accused Canada of harboring “extremists” who want to create a state in India, “Khalistan”. But Ottawa says freedom of speech means groups can express their political views as long as they don’t resort to violence.
Similar concerns raised before Justin Trudeau’s state visit to India in 2018 added some difficulty to that official trip. Mr. Trudeau could visit India again later this year, as the G20 leaders’ summit is due to take place in New Delhi in September.
A month ago, National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister Jody Thomas called India a top source of foreign interference in Canada — a designation that Ottawa usually reserves, at least in public, to authoritarian states.
Indian media also reported this week that the High Commission in Ottawa had officially asked the Canadian government to strengthen the protection of its senior diplomats. The Canadian Press asked the diplomatic mission to confirm this information.
Earlier this year, High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma raised concerns about a rowdy March 23 protest by Sikh groups outside the embassy in Ottawa. While Indian media reported the use of grenades, Ottawa police said they were “instead investigating the possible use of smoke bombs during the protest.” The case is still ongoing.
And last month, India’s foreign minister condemned a painting of a float in Brampton, Ont., that depicted the 1984 assassination of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her two Sikh bodyguards. Canada’s High Commissioner to India, Cameron MacKay, said at the time that he was “appalled” by “the glorification of violence”.