New Delhi: The Ontario-based Hindu Forum Canada (HFC) has called for Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the legal representative of the Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) — an organisation banned in India since 2019 — to be prohibited from entering Canada for his “hate-speech” against Hindus.
In a letter to Marc Miller, minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship Canada (IRCC), HFC, a non-profit for Hindus, asked for “appropriate steps” to be taken “to deem Gurpatwant Singh Pannun inadmissible to Canada due to his hate speech and related activities”. The letter was posted Tuesday on X.
Against the backdrop of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s accusation linking Indian agents to the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a video made the rounds on social media where Pannun accused Hindus “of working against the same country (Canada)” that they benefit from and demanded that they “go back to India”. The video has reportedly been deleted since.
Hindu Forum Canada’s Lawyer writes to Minister Immigration of Canada Mr. @MarcMillerVM to make Gurpatwant Singh Pannu inadmissible to Canada due to his hateful threats to Canadian Hindus @JustinTrudeau @DLeBlancNB pic.twitter.com/CJvu4Uxzzm
— HinduForumCanada #HFC (@canada_hindu) September 26, 2023
Peter Thorning, the legal representative of the HFC, explained to ThePrint that the purpose of the letter to Miller was to “highlight certain troubling comments” made by Pannun.
“The comments made by Pannun were troubling and the letter asks for the government of Canada to deem him (Pannun) inadmissible to enter Canada,” Thorning said.
The letter published by the HFC goes on to describe the comments made by Pannun as causing “distress” and “trauma not only within (the) Hindu community but also among Canadian citizens at large”.
HFC is yet to receive a response from the government to their letter, Thorning informed ThePrint.
‘Hate-filled and inflammatory’
Thorning described to ThePrint that the kinds of comments that are “attributed to Pannun” bear the “hallmarks” of hate speech in Canada.
“It communicates the idea that nothing but separation of people can save you. This kind of speech is hate-filled and inflammatory,” Thorning said.
Likening the situation to the slow boiling of water, he said: “Hot water eventually creates a pressure that could eventually harm someone. Similarly Pannun’s hateful comments could cause people to believe in his rhetoric.”
Leaders from across the political spectrum have condemned Pannun’s comments. Minister of public safety, democratic institutions and intergovernmental affairs Dominic LeBlanc called the circulation of the video “contrary” to the values of Canada.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre condemned the comments while New Democratic Party (NDP) leader and pro-Khalistan MP Jagmeet Singh also spoke out against the video recorded by Pannun, according to HFC’s letter.
The letter also said that if Pannun were in Canada at the time the statements were made, he could be charged with public incitement of hatred or the willful promotion of hatred under Section 319 of the Canadian Criminal Code.
“Section 319 of the Criminal Code makes it unlawful to incite or promote hatred against an identifiable group. There is no doubt that Hindus are an ‘identifiable’ group as defined in s.318(4) of the Criminal Code,” the letter said.
Calls for investigation into Pannun
The letter also called for an investigation to determine whether Pannun is inadmissible to Canada for security reasons, specifically under Section 34 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
It further highlighted that the Canadian government should “have due regard” for India’s position regarding Pannun, who New Delhi has designated an “individual terrorist”. Given India’s position, the letter calls on the government of Canada to determine whether Pannun has engaged in acts of subversion or terrorism against India, which would deem him inadmissible for security reasons into Canada.
“If the government of Canada becomes aware of activities of Pannun — specifically acts of subversion against India — is indeed true, then they do have the power to deem him inadmissible to enter the country,” Thorning explained to ThePrint. “However, the individual does have the right to appeal any decision of the government in an independent judicial body. Preventing Pannun from entering Canada does not happen by decree.”
(Edited by Uttara Ramaswamy)
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