Canada’s Far-Right is Targeting South Asian and Sikh Canadians to Incite Anti-Immigrant Hate

 

Online hate speech against South Asian and Sikh Canadians is on the rise in Canada, community groups warn

Anti-hate experts and researchers say Canada’s far-right is shifting its focus to spreading conspiracy theories and sowing hate towards South Asian and Sikh communities in Canada.

In recent weeks, many far-right Canadian influencers have ramped up attacks against Canadians of South Asian origin – particularly Sikhs – telling them to “go back to their country,” while blaming immigrants for societal ills, like unemployment or housing.

Others have taken to filming or photographing people without their consent and encouraging their followers to do the same while spreading misinformation and harmful narratives about immigrants.

Peter Smith, journalist and researcher with the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, says there has been a visible increase in content targeting of South Asians in Canada.

“There is definitely a trend within the far-right spaces, particularly in Canada, of targeting South Asian communities and individuals for derision,” Smith told PressProgress. “They are making them the focus of a lot of anti-immigrant narratives and we’re seeing the phrase, ‘they have to go back’ being deployed a lot.”

Smith says the far-right in Canada has honed in on the South Asian and Sikh community as their latest target.

“I think the far-right in Canada excels when it has kind of an issue du jour and that, unfortunately for South Asian communities, they have kind of become it for the last little bit.”  (more...)

Canada’s Far-Right is Targeting South Asian and Sikh Canadians to Incite Anti-Immigrant Hate